Paul Nesbitt (April 3, 1872July 22, 1950) was an American politician, who served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He also served as a secretary for Governor

Charles N. Haskell Charles Nathaniel Haskell (March 13, 1860 – July 5, 1933) was an American lawyer, oilman, and politician who was the first governor of Oklahoma. As a delegate to Oklahoma's constitutional convention in 1906, he played a crucial role in draftin ...

and as a Cabinet member for Governor

John C. Walton John Calloway Walton (March 6, 1881 – November 25, 1949) was an American politician and the fifth governor of Oklahoma. He served the shortest term of any Governor of Oklahoma, being the first Governor in the state's history to be removed from ...

. Educated at Chicago Medical College, he was a doctor and newspaperman before his entry into Oklahoma politics. Nesbitt died July 22, 1950, in

Talihina, Oklahoma Talihina (pronounced "tah-luh-HEE-nuh") is a town in LeFlore County, Oklahoma, United States, its name originating from two Choctaw words, ''tully'' and ''hena'', meaning iron road. Iron road is reference to the railroad that the town was built ar ...

Early life

Nesbitt was born April 3, 1872, at Milford, Iowa, the son of James and Evaline Nesbitt.Paul Nesbitt
Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. 30, p. 245-246. (accessed July 19, 2013) His father was a first lieutenant in the United States Army and his grandfather was an Irish immigrant who served under

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

in the American Revolutionary War. Growing up in Nebraska, he was educated at Chicago Medical College and practiced medicine in Vinton, Iowa,

El Dorado Springs, Missouri El Dorado Springs is the largest city in Cedar County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,493 at the 2020 census. The name is commonly shortened to El Dorado or El Do. Geography El Dorado Springs is located at (37.870872, -94.021024 ...

, and finally in Watonga, a town in

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

, in 1899. Nesbitt briefly owned the Watonga Herald.Thoburn, Joseph B
History of Oklahoma
p. 1420.] (accessed July 19, 2013) He abandoned his practice in 1904 and went to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, to apprentice as a cub reporter and later worked for the Joplin Globe. In 1906, he returned to Oklahoma to direct the publicity campaign for the Democratic candidates wanting to serve as delegates to the Oklahoma constitutional convention. He did not support the nomination of

in the Democratic primary, but ended up serving as secretary for Oklahoma's first governor. and helped carry the state seal from

Guthrie, Oklahoma Guthrie is a city and county seat in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 10,191 at the 2010 census, a 2.7 percent increase from the figure of 9,925 in the 2000 census. First kno ...

, to Oklahoma City in 1910.

Political career

Nesbitt represented Pittsburg County in the Oklahoma Legislature during the sessions of the

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

6th 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, and 7th Oklahoma Legislature legislatures.Historic Members

Oklahoma House of Representatives
. (accessed July 19, 2013) He supported

for governor and served as a Cabinet member under Walton.

Death

Nesbitt died July 22, 1950, in

, of a cerebral hemorrhage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesbitt, Paul 1872 births 1950 deaths People from Dickinson County, Iowa People from Vinton, Iowa Speakers of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives