Former Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, who represented Oklahoma from 1994-2023 and was the state’s longest serving senator, died Tuesday at the age of 89. He was surrounded by his wife, Kay, his children and other family members, a former senior aide told Fox News. Inhofe served in the Army for three years and worked for his father’s insurance company before starting his career in politics. He served in the Oklahoma House for Representatives and Senate, and unsuccessfully ran for governor before being elected as mayor of Tulsa, a position he held for three terms. He was the elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1994, then the Senate until his retirement in 2023. “As a former Tulsa mayor, Congressman and the longest-serving U.S. senator from Oklahoma, Inhofe was the consummate public servant, unafraid to advocate for his constituents, particularly in the areas of transportation, infrastructure and the armed services,” Mike Neal, president of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, said. He paid tribute to Inhofe’s more recent wins, including funding the Tulsa/West Tulsa Levees and efforts to designate U.S. Highway 412 as an interstate.
