# 36th Oklahoma Legislature

The Thirty-sixth Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. State legislators met at the Oklahoma State Capitol in session from January 4 to June 8, 1977, from June 13 to June 17, 1977, and from January 3 to March 28, 1978, during the term of Governor David L. Boren.
Lieutenant Governor George Nigh served as President of the Senate. Gene C. Howard served as President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate and William Willis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
The 1978 session was marked by a student protest over rumors that state legislators were planning to close Langston University.

## Dates of sessions

* Organizational day: January 4, 1977
* First regular session: January 4-June 8, 1977
* Special session: June 13–17, 1977
* Second regular session: January 3-March 28, 1978
Previous: 35th Legislature • Next: 37th Legislature

## Major events

On March 1, 1978, student protesters upset with rumors that the state legislature would attempt to close Langston University broke past security in the Oklahoma State Capitol and trapped state legislators in the building. Although, the state legislators eventually escaped, the university was not close and received additional funding.

## Party composition
### Senate

| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total |
| Affiliation | Democratic | Republican | Total |
| | 38 | 10 | 48 |
| Voting share | 79.2% | 20.8% | |

### House of Representatives

| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total |
| Affiliation | Democratic | Republican | Total |
| | 81 | 20 | 101 |
| Voting share | 80.2% | 19.8% | |

## Leadership
### Democratic

* President Pro Tempore: Gene C. Howard
* Speaker: William Willis
* Speaker Pro Tempore: Spencer Bernard

### Republican

* Minority leader of the Senate:
* Minority leader of the House: Kent Frates

## Members
### Senate

| District | Name | Party | Towns Represented |
| Lt-Gov | George Nigh | Dem | President of Senate |
| 1 | William Schuelein | Dem | Grove, Jay, Miami |
| 2 | Robert Wadley | Dem | Claremore, Pryor |
| 3 | Herb Rozell | Dem | Stilwell, Tahlequah |
| 4 | Joe Johnson | Dem | Poteau, Sallisaw |
| 5 | Jim Lane | Dem | Atoka, Hugo |
| 6 | Roy Boatner | Dem | Durant |
| 7 | Gene Stipe | Dem | McAlester, Wilburton |
| 8 | Kenneth Butler | Dem | Henryetta, Okmulgee |
| 9 | John Luton | Dem | Muskogee |
| 10 | John Dahl | Dem | Fairfax, Pawhuska |
| 12 | John Young | Dem | Sapulpa |
| 13 | James W. McDaniel | Dem | Ada, Atwood |
| 14 | Ernest Martin | Dem | Ardmore |
| 15 | Charles Vann | Dem | Norman |
| 16 | Lee Cate | Dem | Norman, Purcell, Lexington |
| 17 | John Clifton | Dem | Shawnee |
| 19 | Norman Lamb | Rep | Enid |
| 20 | Roy Grantham | Dem | Ponca City, Tonkawa |
| 21 | Robert Murphy | Dem | Stillwater |
| 22 | Gideon Tinsley | Rep | Kingfisher |
| 23 | Ray Giles | Dem | Chickasha, Hinton |
| 24 | Wayne Holden | Dem | Duncan |
| 25 | Herschal Crow | Dem | Altus |
| 26 | Gilmer Capps | Dem | Elk City, Sayre, Mangum |
| 27 | Ed Berrong | Dem | Weatherford |
| 29 | Jerry Pierce | Rep | Bartlesville |
| 31 | Paul Taliaferro | Dem | Lawton |
| 32 | Al Terrill | Dem | Lawton |
| 33 | Rodger Randle | Dem | Tulsa |
| 34 | Bob Shatwell | Dem | Tulsa |
| 35 | Warren Green | Rep | Tulsa |
| 36 | Gene C. Howard | Dem | Tulsa |
| 37 | Finis Smith | Dem | Tulsa |
| 38 | Frank Keating | Rep | Tulsa |
| 39 | Stephen Wolfe | Rep | Tulsa |
| 40 | Phillip Lambert | Dem | Oklahoma City |
| 41 | Phil Watson | Rep | Edmond |
| 42 | James Howell | Dem | Midwest City |
| 43 | Don Kilpatrick | Dem | Del City, Oklahoma City |
| 44 | Marvin York | Dem | Oklahoma City |
| 45 | Jimmy Birdsong | Dem | Moore, Oklahoma City |
| 46 | Mary Helm | Rep | Oklahoma City |
| 47 | John R. McCune | Rep | Oklahoma City |
| 48 | E. Melvin Porter | Dem | Oklahoma City |
| 49 | Leon B. Field | Dem | Guymon |
| 50 | Bill Dawson | Dem | Seminole |
| 52 | E. W. Keller | Rep | Bethany, Oklahoma City |
| 54 | Bob Funston | Dem | Tulsa |
Table based on 2005 state almanac.

### House of Representatives

| Name | District | Party | Counties |
| Mike Murphy | 1 | Dem | McCurtain |
| Bob Parris | 2 | Dem | Adair, Sequoyah |
| Mick Thompson | 3 | Dem | Leflore, McCurtain |
| William Willis | 4 | Dem | Cherokee |
| Wiley Sparkman | 5 | Dem | Adair, Delaware |
| George Vaughn | 6 | Dem | Craig, Mayes, Ottawa, Rogers |
| Joe Fitzgibbon | 7 | Dem | Ottawa |
| J. D. Whorton | 8 | Rep | Delaware, Mayes, Rogers |
| Bill Crutcher | 9 | Dem | Nowata, Rogers |
| A. C. Holden | 10 | Dem | Osage, Washington |
| Robert Kane | 11 | Rep | Nowata, Washington |
| Bill Lancaster | 12 | Dem | Muskogee, Wagoner |
| Jim Barker | 13 | Dem | Muskogee |
| John Monks | 14 | Dem | Muskogee |
| Charles Peterson | 15 | Dem | Haskell, McIntosh, Muskogee, Pittsburg |
| Joseph Bennett | 16 | Dem | Okmulgee |
| "Red" Caldwell | 17 | Dem | Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, Pittsburg |
| William Ervin | 18 | Dem | Pittsburg |
| Hollis Roberts | 19 | Dem | Choctaw, Pittsburg, Pushmataha |
| Bob Trent | 20 | Dem | Atoka, Johnston, Pittsburg |
| Guy Gaylon Davis | 21 | Dem | Bryan |
| Kenneth Converse | 22 | Dem | Atoka, Coal, Johnston, Murray, Pontotoc |
| Harold Monlux | 23 | Dem | Tulsa, Wagoner |
| Bill Robinson | 24 | Dem | Coal, Hughes, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg |
| Lonnie Abbott | 25 | Dem | Pontotoc |
| Robert Harlan Henry | 26 | Dem | Pottawatomie |
| James Townsend | 27 | Dem | Cleveland, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie |
| Jeff Johnston | 28 | Dem | Seminole |
| Oval Cunningham | 29 | Dem | Creek, Okfuskee, Okmulgee |
| Don Thompson | 30 | Dem | Creek |
| James Cummings | 31 | Rep | Kingfisher, Logan, Noble |
| Charlie Morgan | 32 | Dem | Lincoln, Logan, Okfuskee |
| Joe Manning | 33 | Dem | Payne |
| Daniel Draper | 34 | Dem | Payne |
| Don Johnson | 35 | Dem | Creek, Kay, Noble, Osage, Pawnee |
| Billy Kennedy | 36 | Dem | Kay, Osage |
| James Holt | 37 | Rep | Kay |
| Dorothy Conaghan | 38 | Rep | Grant, Kay |
| Robert Milacek | 39 | Rep | Alfalfa, Blaine, Garfield, Grant, Major |
| Thomas Rogers | 40 | Dem | Garfield |
| Robert Anderson | 41 | Rep | Garfield |
| Tom Stephenson | 42 | Dem | Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Kingfisher |
| Mark Hammons | 43 | Dem | Canadian |
| Cleta Deatherage | 44 | Dem | Cleveland |
| Glenn Floyd | 45 | Dem | Cleveland |
| Charles Elder | 46 | Dem | Garvin, Grady, McClain |
| Spencer Bernard | 47 | Dem | Grady, McClain |
| Don Duke | 48 | Dem | Carter |
| Bill Bradley | 49 | Dem | Carter, Cotton, Jefferson |
| Bob Wilson | 50 | Dem | Stephens |
| Vernon Dunn | 51 | Dem | Carter, Garvin, Stephens |
| Howard Cotner | 52 | Dem | Jackson, Kiowa |
| Bob Harper | 53 | Dem | Comanche, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Tillman |
| Kenneth Craig | 54 | Dem | Cleveland |
| Harvey Weichel | 55 | Dem | Caddo, Kiowa, Washita |
| James Kardokus | 56 | Dem | Caddo, Comanche, Grady |
| Wayne Winn | 57 | Dem | Beckham, Custer |
| Lewis Kamas | 58 | Dem | Major, Woods, Woodward |
| Mark Bradshaw | 59 | Dem | Beaver, Beckham, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Roger Mills, Woodward |
| Victor Wickersham | 60 | Dem | Beckham, Greer, Harmon |
| Marvin McKee | 61 | Rep | Beaver, Cimarron, Texas |
| Don Davis | 62 | Dem | Comanche |
| Marvin Baughman | 63 | Dem | Comanche |
| Butch Hooper | 64 | Dem | Comanche |
| Jim Glover | 65 | Dem | Comanche |
| David Riggs | 66 | Dem | Tulsa |
| Joan Hastings | 67 | Rep | Tulsa |
| Robert Hopkins | 68 | Dem | Tulsa |
| William Wiseman | 69 | Rep | Tulsa |
| Paul Brunton | 70 | Rep | Tulsa |
| Helen Arnold | 71 | Rep | Tulsa |
| Mandell Matheson | 72 | Dem | Tulsa |
| Bernard McIntyre | 73 | Dem | Tulsa |
| Robert V. Cullison | 74 | Dem | Tulsa |
| Jim Hardesty | 75 | Dem | Tulsa |
| James Allen Williamson | 76 | Rep | Tulsa |
| William Poulos | 77 | Dem | Tulsa |
| Charles Cleveland | 78 | Dem | Tulsa |
| Ted Cowan | 79 | Rep | Tulsa |
| Charles Ford | 80 | Rep | Tulsa |
| Neal McCaleb | 81 | Rep | Oklahoma |
| Bill Holaday | 82 | Rep | Oklahoma |
| Kent Frates | 83 | Rep | Oklahoma |
| Judy Ann Swinton | 84 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| George Camp | 85 | Rep | Oklahoma |
| Robert S. Kerr III | 86 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Sandy Sanders | 87 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Don Denman | 88 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| L. Bengtson | 89 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Mike J. Lawter | 90 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Kenneth Nance | 91 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Jim Fried | 92 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Jerry Steward | 93 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Fred Joiner | 94 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| David Craighead | 95 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| John MisKelly | 96 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Hannah Atkins | 97 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Thomas Duckett | 98 | Dem | Canadian, Oklahoma |
| Visanio Johnson | 99 | Dem | Oklahoma |
| Terry Campbell | 100 | Rep | Canadian, Oklahoma |
| Carl Twidwell Jr. | 101 | Dem | Oklahoma |
* Table based on database.