James Inhofe, former longtime senator, dies at 89 – Washington Examiner

Former Republican Sen. James Inhofe, the longest-serving senator from Oklahoma, has died. He was 89.

Inhofe served roughly 28 years in the Senate from 1994-2023. But his decades-long political career began in his early 30s at the state level in 1966, which included time as a state representative and senator, mayor of Tulsa, and U.S. representative.

“Jim spent his life in service to his country, both in uniform and in the halls of Congress,” Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) said in a statement. “He will always be remembered as a fighter, especially for our military service members. Jim’s legacy of service, leadership, and faith reflect the Oklahoma Standard and the pride he held in his work. Along with the family, friends, and many Oklahomans who knew and loved him, I mourn the loss of a great man.”

Inhofe served in the House from 1987-94 before winning a special election to the Senate in 1994, where he served until his retirement in 2023. During his tenure in the Senate, Inhofe served as chairman of two committees: Environment and Public Works, and Armed Services.

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Perhaps the Republican lawmaker’s most notable moment was when Inhofe, then-chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, brought a snowball onto the Senate floor in the winter of 2015 as evidence human-caused global warming did not exist.

“In case we have forgotten because we keep hearing that 2014 has been the warmest year on record,” said Inhofe, who held a large snowball. “I asked the chair, do you know what this is? It’s a snowball just from outside here. So it’s very, very cold out. Very unseasonable.”

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