Jonathan Nichols (politician)

Jonathan Edgar Nichols (November 14, 1965 – June 5, 2019) was an American politician who served as a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 2000 to 2012. He was a member of the Republican Party. Prior to that, he was an attorney and became Assistant District Attorney.

Jonathan Nichols
Member of the Oklahoma Senate
from the 15th district
In office
2000–2012
Preceded byTrish Weedn
Succeeded byRob Standridge
Personal details
Born
Jonathan Edgar Nichols

(1965-11-14)November 14, 1965
Bad Hersfeld, Germany
DiedJune 5, 2019(2019-06-05) (aged 53)
Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children2
WebsiteSenator Nichols' Senate Website (2008 snapshot)
Oklahoma
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Early life and education

Born in Bad Hersfeld, Germany,[1] Nichols lived in Norman, Oklahoma. He graduated from Northeastern State University and received his law degree from University of Oklahoma in 1993.[2][3]

Career

Nichols was an assistant district attorney in Cleveland County for over six years. As an assistant district attorney, Nichols represented the State of Oklahoma in the prosecution of Kevin Ott.[4] Following the trial, Ott's sentence of life without parole for possession of 3.5 ounces of methamphetamine has been the subject of several national news articles[5][6][7] and an award winning documentary produced by actors Brad Pitt, and Danny Glover, and musical artist John Legend.[8][9] Nichols left the district attorney's office to pursue a career in politics. He was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in November 2000. He was re-elected two times, in 2004 and 2008, and became chairman of the Rules Committee of the Oklahoma Senate. He left office in 2013 when term limits prevented him from seeking a fourth term in office. Between 2016 and 2018, he served as vice president of government relations at the University of Oklahoma. Prior to his death, he worked as a Senior Policy Advisor for Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall.[10][11]

Personal life

Nichols was married and had two daughters.[10] On June 5, 2019, Nichols was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound at his home in Norman. There was no foul play reported in his death, though the gun was found across the room on a table.[12][13]

Awards and honors

In 2001, he received the Most Courageous Legislator Award from the Higher Education Council of Oklahoma.[14]

Election results
November 4, 2008, Election results for Oklahoma State Senator for District 15
Candidates Party Votes %
Jonathan Nichols Republican 23,125 60.63%
Diane M. Drum Democratic 15,019 39.37%
Source:
November 2, 2004, Election results for Oklahoma State Senator for District 15
Candidates Party Votes %
Jonathan Nichols Republican 20,526 57.41%
Lisa Pryor Democratic 15,228 42.59%
Source:
November 7, 2000, Election results for Oklahoma State Senator for District 15
Candidates Party Votes %
Jonathan Nichols Republican 16,722 56.22%
Pat Martin Democratic 13,021 43.78%
Source:

References
  2. Slinkard, Caleb (June 6, 2019). "Former state senator Jonathan Nichols has died". Enidnews. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  3. Votesmart.org.-Jonathan Nichols
  4. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ok-court-of-criminal-appeals/1289003.html
  5. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/they-sentenced-me-die-prison-n459511
  6. https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/serving-life-without-parole-for-drugs-oklahoma-man-now-hopes-for-release/
  7. https://oklahoman.com/article/5416173/behind-the-story-life-without-parole-for-drugs
  8. https://harvardmagazine.com/2013/03/inside-the-war-on-drugs
  9. https://youtube.com/Ee4Mz1ujuck
  10. ""It's such a huge loss," Death of former Oklahoma senator under investigation". KFOR.com. 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  11. "Norman police investigating death of former state lawmaker". Oklahoman.com. 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  12. "Former Oklahoma state senator found dead from gunshot wound in Norman home". KOCO-TV. June 6, 2019.
  13. Investigation into former senator's death finished, Norman police say
  14. Troxtell, Adam (December 2, 2016). "Boren taps former Okla. senator as VP of governmental relations to fight education budget cuts". Norman Transcript. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
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