Name G. Blankenship Role Lawyer | Education University of Oklahoma | |
G. T. Blankenship (born March 11, 1928) is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Oklahoma. A former Oklahoma State Representative, Blankenship served as the 10th Attorney General of Oklahoma (the first Republican to hold that position). After serving as Attorney General, he entered private law practice in Oklahoma City and served two terms on the University of Oklahoma's Board of Regents.
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Early life
Blankenship attended the University of Oklahoma and received a Bachelor of Arts. He was then admitted to the OU College of Law where he earned a Bachelor of Laws and became an attorney.
Political career
In 1960, Blankenship was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He served in the State House until 1967. He was elected by his fellow Republicans to serve as the House Minority Leader from 1965 to 1967, making him the highest-ranking Republican in the House at that time.
In the 1966 general election, Blankenship became the first Republican in state history to be elected Attorney General of Oklahoma. He succeeded Charles R. Nesbitt. Blankenship served one term as Attorney General from 1967 to 1971.
After leaving office, Blankenship opened his private practice of law in Oklahoma City. He would later become Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Bank of Nichols Hills in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma. While engaged in private practice, Blankenship would become actively involved with the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.
University of Oklahoma
Blankenship was appointed to the board of regents of the University of Oklahoma in 1990 by Republican Governor of Oklahoma Henry Bellmon. He served two terms as chairman of the board of regents in 1995 and 1996. Governor Frank Keating reappointed him to the board in 1997. He was elected chairman again in 2003. His second term ended in 2004, after which he retired.
The Sarkeys Foundation has established the G.T. Blankenship Chair for Alzheimer's and Aging Research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. Blankenship and his wife, Libby, established the G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair of History of Freedom, the purpose of which is to emphasize the importance of undergraduate teaching and focus on historical and contemporary issues of freedom.
Personal life
Blankenship and his wife, Libby, live in Oklahoma City and have three adult children. He was inducted as a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2001.