Donald Lee Nickles was born on December 6,1948 and is an American politician and lobbyist who was a Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 to 2005.
16 Facts About Don Nickles
2.
Don Nickles was considered both a fiscal and social conservative.
3.
Don Nickles attended Ponca City public schools graduating from Ponca City High School in 1967.
4.
Don Nickles was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Oklahoma State University, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in business administration in 1971.
5.
Don Nickles became the company's vice president and general manager.
6.
Don Nickles served in the Kansas Army National Guard and the Oklahoma Army National Guard from 1970 until 1976.
7.
Don Nickles sponsored legislation to cut taxes, reduce government spending, promote national defense, and reduce what he believed to be official hostility to religion.
8.
Don Nickles sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act which allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states.
9.
The National Federation of Independent Business praised Don Nickles for including in the Senate's 2005 budget a provision that would accelerate by one year a complete repeal of the federal estate tax Don Nickles was one of many Republican senators who in 1981 called the White House to express his discontent over the nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor of Arizona to the United States Supreme Court.
10.
Don Nickles was one of three Senators to vote against the confirmation of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and one of nine to vote against the confirmation of Stephen Breyer to the Supreme Court.
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Don Nickles quickly rose in the Senate Republican leadership, serving as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the 101st Congress; Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the 102nd, 103rd, and 104th Congresses; and Assistant Republican Leader from 1996 to 2003.
12.
Don Nickles was on Bob Dole's short list of vice presidential choices, before Dole finally decided on former Congressman Jack Kemp of New York.
13.
In December 2002, Don Nickles became embroiled in the controversy surrounding Republican Leader Trent Lott.
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Don Nickles was re-elected in 1986,1992 and 1998 and was the senior senator from Oklahoma from 1994 to 2005.
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Don Nickles went on to found the Don Nickles Group, a government consulting group in Washington, DC He serves on the boards of directors of a number of public companies, such as Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy.
16.
Don Nickles was one of the politicians featured in the film Traffic, giving his opinion on the war on drugs.