A Little Bit of History
Posted January 10, 2013 by Nate Billings
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T. W. Shannon thanks Chief Justice Tom Colbert after he was sworn in as Speaker of the House. At his side is his wife, Devon. Shannon was elected by his colleagues in the Oklahoma House of Representatives as their Speaker for the upcoming legislative session. Shannon, a Republican from Lawton, is Oklahoma's first black Speaker of the House. He was sworn in on the floor of the House by Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Colbert on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Colbert became Oklahoma's first black chief justice when he was sworn in last week. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman
I’m usually not a fan of photos of people being sworn into offices, but there were some historical firsts recently that deserve a mention.
Tom Colbert became the first African American chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Friday, Jan. 4. Retired Oklahoma County District Judge Charles Owens issued the oath of office to Colbert. Owens was the first black judge in Oklahoma when he was appointed in 1968.
The next week, Colbert administered the oath of office to T.W. Shannon to become the first black Speaker of the House in Oklahoma.
And, all of this happened close to the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863.
Tom Colbert takes the oath of office as as the first black chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, Friday, January 4, 2013. Judge Charles Owens, with his back to the camera, did the swearing in. Photo By David McDaniel, The Oklahoman
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