Senator John William Harreld - Contact Information

John William Harreld (January 24, 1872 – December 26, 1950) was a United States Representative and Senator from Oklahoma and the first Republican senator elected in that state, marking a significant shift in Oklahoma politics. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the United States Congress during a consequential period in American history, contributing to the legislative process over two terms in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives.

Harreld was born in Butler County, Kentucky, near Morgantown, to Martha Helm and Thomas Nelson Harreld. He attended local public schools and then pursued further education at the normal school in Lebanon, Ohio, where he prepared for professional life. He subsequently studied at Bryant & Stratton Business College in Louisville, Kentucky. While enrolled there, he taught at the institution and simultaneously studied law, reflecting an early combination of academic, professional, and legal training. He was admitted to the bar in 1889 and began the practice of law in Morgantown, Kentucky.

In addition to his legal work, Harreld entered public service at an early age. He served as prosecuting attorney of Butler County, Kentucky, from 1892 to 1896, gaining experience in criminal law and local government administration. On October 20, 1889, he married Laura Ward, with whom he had a son, Ward. Seeking broader opportunities as the American frontier continued to develop, Harreld moved with his family to Ardmore, Oklahoma, in 1906, shortly before Oklahoma’s admission to the Union in 1907.

After settling in Oklahoma, Harreld built a career that combined legal practice, public service, and business. He served as a referee in bankruptcy from 1908 to 1915, a position that placed him at the intersection of federal law and the region’s rapidly expanding commercial activity. In 1915 he resigned that post to become an executive with an oil corporation, reflecting the growing importance of the petroleum industry in Oklahoma’s economy. He moved to Oklahoma City in 1917, where he engaged in the production of oil and continued to practice law, further consolidating his standing in both the legal and business communities.

Harreld entered national politics during World War I and its immediate aftermath. He was elected on November 8, 1919, as a Republican to the Sixty-sixth Congress to fill the vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives caused by the death of Joseph B. Thompson. He represented Oklahoma in the House from November 8, 1919, to March 4, 1921. He did not seek renomination to the House, instead becoming a candidate for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate. His service in Congress began at a time of significant political and social change in the United States, and as a member of the House he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Oklahoma constituents.

In 1920, Harreld was elected to the United States Senate from Oklahoma, becoming the first Republican ever to win a Senate seat in the state. He served in the Senate from March 4, 1921, to March 4, 1927, encompassing two terms in Congress as a senator. During his tenure, he contributed to the legislative process in a period marked by postwar adjustment, economic growth, and evolving federal policy toward Native American nations. He served as Senate chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, a role that placed him at the center of federal deliberations on issues affecting Indigenous peoples and tribal lands. Harreld was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1926, ending his Senate service after one full term.

Following his departure from the Senate, Harreld returned to private life in Oklahoma while remaining active in politics. After the death of his first wife, Laura Ward, he married her sister, Thurlow Ward, in 1931. He continued to reside in Oklahoma City, where he practiced law and maintained his interests in the oil business. He sought a return to Congress in 1940 as a candidate for election to the Seventy-seventh Congress but was unsuccessful. Thereafter, he continued his professional activities in Oklahoma City.

John William Harreld died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on December 26, 1950. He was interred in Fairlawn Cemetery in that city. His career, spanning local legal service in Kentucky, early federal responsibilities in Oklahoma, and ultimately representation of Oklahoma in both houses of Congress, reflected the political and economic transformation of Oklahoma in the early twentieth century and the emergence of the Republican Party as a competitive force in the state’s federal elections.