Biography

Tom Cole is a Republican U.S. representative from Oklahoma's 4th congressional district, serving since 2003, and currently chairs the House Appropriations Committee as of April 2024. He previously served in the Oklahoma Senate from 1988 to 1991 and as Oklahoma's secretary of state from 1995 to 1999. As an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, Cole is the longest-serving Native American in congressional history.