This dissertation has been 64— 13,358 microfilmed exactly as received Y O U N G , Wayne Fisher, 1911- OKLAHOMA POLITICS: WITH SPECIAL REFERr- ENCE TO THE ELECTION OF OKLAHOMA'S FIRST REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR. The University of Oklahoma, Ph.D., 1964 Political Science, general University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan Copyright by WAYIÏE FISHER YOUNG 1964 TEE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE OKIAHOMA POLITICS: WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE ELECTION OF 0KIAHC»1A'S FIRST REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR A DISSERTATION SUH4ITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY WAYNE FISHER YOUNG Norman, Oklahoma 196k OKLAECm POLITICS; WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE ELECTION OF OKLAHOMA'S FIRST REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR APPRO DISSERTATION COMMITTEE ACKNOWLEDGMEHTS Extensive inquiries were made in approximately one-fourth of the counties of Oklahoma in collecting the data for this study, and this entailed considerable expense. The writer gratefully acknowledges grants from West Texas State University, Cemyon, Texas, and fïom the University of Oklahoma that helped to defray these expenses. A part-time position as research associate with the Bureau of Government Research, University of OklahOETu, helped to make it possible to take a year off to complete the collection of data and to write this dissertation. To my wife, Alma Glass foung, for her willingness to accept employment during this year go my most grateful thanks. As to the text, I am deeply indebted to Dr. Joseph C. Pray of the Department of Government, University of Oklahoma, for his direction of my efforts and for his many helpful suggestions. For much background material on the history of Oklahoma politics, I owe a debt to Dr. James Ralph Scales, now president of Oklahoma Baptist IMiversity, for the wealth of information provided in his doctoral dissertation on this subject. A similar debt is owed to the late Dr. Cortez A.M. Ewing, of the University of Oklahoma, and to Dr. Royden J. Dangerfield, now of the Uhiversity of Illinois, for the material in their unpublished history of Oklahoma politics. To the approximately two hundred Oklahoma political figures and iii newspaper men whom I interviewed, I am deeply grateful for the time they gave me. Two veteran newspaper men were especially generous with their time and information; Otis Sullivant, political writer for The Daily Oklahoman, and Phil Dessauer, associate editor of The Tulsa Daily World. The political candidates, their state and county campaign managers, and other prominent Oklahoma political figures were especially kind to take time out of their busy days to talk with me. These and other experiences have given me a very warm feeling toward the "politician, " and toward Oklahoma politicians in particular. Space does not permit thanking individually all to whom I am indebted, but to all of them go my deepest gratitude. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........ ill LIST OF TABLES. ............ vil LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS........................................... xi LIST OF MAPS............ xil INTRODUCTION. ..... 1 PART I. THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUND Chapter I. A BRIEF HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA POLITICS. .............. 7 II. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS. ............ 37 PART II. LONG-RANGE OKLAHOMA POLITICAL INFLUENCES III. GEOGRAPHICAL BASES OF PARTY STRENGTH___ ____........... 71 IV. RELATIVE PARTY STRENGTH: DOES OKLAHOMA HAVE A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM? ___.........___ ........... $4 V. SWITCH VOTING. ..... 110 VI. VOTER TURNOUT. .... Igk VII. REPUBLICAN PARTY LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION.......... l44 VIII. DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION.......... I57 DC. SUMMARY OF LONG-TERM INFLUENCES UPON THE I962 ELECTION. .... 173 Chapter Page PART III. SHORT-TERM INFLUENCES UPON THE I962 GUBERNATORm, ELECTION X. THE 1950-1960 DECADE: GRIEVANCES ACCUMULATE AGAINST THE DEMOCRATS AND THE DEMOCRATS SUFFER A SERIES OF PARTY SPLITS................................... I83 XI. THE DEMOCRATIC FIRST PRIMARY......................... 212 XII. THE ROLE OF OKLAHOMA VOTING BLOCS AND POLITICAL INTEREST GROUPS................................... 258 XIII. THE DEMOCRATIC RUNOFF PRIMARY; REPUBLICAN ACTIVITY DURING THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES................... 275 XIV. GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATES, ISSUES, AND ORGANIZATIONS.. 293 XV. AN ANALYSIS OF THE VOTING IN THE GENERAL ELECTION..... 323 XVI. THE PRESENT STATUS OF OKLAHOMA POLITICS.............. 352 APPENDIX..................................................... 370 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................. 373 Ti LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 . The number of Republican statewide victories, 1907-1960 7 2 . Number of Democrats and Republicans elected to the state legislature, I9 0 7 -I9 1 8 .................... 12 3. Percentages of the vote received by the Democratic, Republican, and Socialist candidates for governor, 1907-I918................................ 1^ h. Number of Democrats and Republicans serving in the state legislature, 1920-1928....................... 19 5. The number of Democrats and Republicans serving in the state legislature, 1930-1948.................... 26 6. Number of Democrats and Republicans serving in the state legislature, 1950-1962 ........................ 30 7. Oklahoma population data, 1910-I960.................... 38 8 . The eleven counties that have shown population gains since 1940 and the amount of gain In each........... 4 l 9. The six Oklahoma counties where value added by manu­ facture was largest................................ 42 10. Percentage population declines of the counties showing the largest population losses............... 4 ] 11. Percentage Increases in population of the central cities and surburbs of Oklahoma's three standard metropolitan areas, I95O-I960....................... 46 12. The number of Democratic and Republican counties in each category of counties classified according to population......... : - ................... 48 13. Republican percentage of the total vote In the gubernatorial contests, 1942-1962, In the most populous counties......... 50 vii Table Page 14 . Democratic percentage of the total vote for President in Oklahoma compared vith that of the nation, 1908-1960 52 15. Percentage of membership of largest Oklahoma church denominations to total chr u ^ membership in the state............................................... 53 16. Oklahoma's national ranking as to selected economic and population characteristics................ 60 17• Leading manufacturing and agricultural counties in Oklahoma according to selected indices........ 64 18. Median family incomes in the Democratic and Republican counties of western Oklahoma...................... 65 19. Oklahoma counties where the value of all farm products sold per farm in 1954 and 1959 vas lowest..... 66 20. Voting age populations of the strongly Democratic, strongly Republican, and swing counties in i960. 79 21. Voting divisions in elections of delegates to Congress from Oklahoma Territory, 1890-1904......... 85 22. Average Democratic percentage of the total vote in gubernatorial, presidential, and senatorial races, 1907-1962 and recently............................ 95 23. Percentage of presidential, gubernatorial, and senatorial elections in which Republican candidates received more tham 30 per cent or more than 40 per cent of the vote.................................. 97 24 . Average Republican percentage of the vote for three secondary state offices, I907-I918, 1920-1928, 1930-1948, 1950-1962.............................. 100 25. Republican percentage of the total vote for corporation commissioner in the last three presidential years.... 100 26. Relative participation in Oklahoma's Democratic and Republicem gubernatorial primaries since I9IO....... 102 viii Table Page 27. Number of statewide contests in which no Republican candidate was entered, I918-I962.......... 103 28. Number of Republicans elected to eleven county offices, 1907-1918, 1920-1928, 1930-1948, 1950-1962........................................ 106 29. Tbs number and percentage of increased Republican votes cast in the Democratic and Republican counties in 1938 and 194-2........................... 112 30. Vote pluralities in the Democratic and Republican counties in the last four presidential elections 113 31. Republican percentage of the vote in the eleven least populous, strongly Democratic counties in 1948, 1952, 1956, and i960.......................... 114 32. Republican percentage of the vote in five of the state's most populous counties in 1948, 1952, 1956, and i960...................................... 115 33. The 1952 numerical increase in Republican voting in the strongly Democratic counties compared with that in five populous, mostly Republican counties.... II6 34. Democratic or Republican pluralities returned by the entire state and by the swing counties in presi­ dential elections................................. 117 35 * Voting pluralities in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties related to total state pluralities in four presidential elections............................ II8 36. The size of the Democratic vote related to the size of the total vote in all gubernatorial elections since 1930....................................... 135 37* Republican percentage of the vote related to per­ centage of statewide voter turnout in six guber­ natorial elections................................ 138 38. Average percentage of voter turnout in the Republican, Democratic, and swing counties in five recent elections.......................................