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.
Details around the circumstances of his death were not immediately available.
Republican lawmakers, including several from Oklahoma, praised Inhofe as a personal friend and longtime colleague.
“Jim’s professional legacy was one that any aspiring legislator would dream of,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). “But the legacy our friend was most proud of was the one that had surpassed his own wildest dreams: the life and family he had been blessed to build with his beloved wife, Kay.”
Inhofe’s successor, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), lauded him as a “titan in the Senate.”
“He was a tireless advocate, and a wonderful friend, father, husband, and grandfather,” Mullin wrote on social media. “While I will never be able to fill his shoes, Jim’s spirit, passion, and love of country will continue to inspire me each and every day.”
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.
“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.”
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Perhaps one of the Republican lawmaker’s most memorable moments 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 was a “hoax.” The episode drew the ire of environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers.
“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.”
