David Boren, former Oklahoma governor, US senator, OU president, dies at 83

David Boren, the 21st Governor of Oklahoma, former US senator and president of the University of Oklahoma, has died. He was 83.

Thursday, February 20th 2025, 7:31 am

By: Anna Denison

David Boren, the 21st Governor of Oklahoma who later represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as president of the University of Oklahoma, died at 83.

Boren passed away on Thursday, according to his family. According to family spokesperson Bob Burke, Boren was at home surrounded by family at the time of his death.

Boren served as Oklahoma’s governor from 1975 to 1979 and represented the state in the U.S. Senate from 1979 to 1994. A conservative Democrat, Boren remains the last member of his party to have held a U.S. Senate seat from Oklahoma. After leaving the Senate, he became the 13th president of the University of Oklahoma, serving from 1994 until his retirement in 2018.

Early Political Career and Governorship

Boren began his political career in 1967 when he was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, serving four terms until 1974.

During this time, he also practiced law in Seminole, served as a captain in the Oklahoma Army National Guard, and chaired the social sciences department at Oklahoma Baptist University.

In 1974, Boren launched a gubernatorial campaign with the now-famous “Boren Broom Brigade,” pledging to “sweep out the Old Guard” and bring reform to state government. His platform focused on government transparency, campaign finance reform, and corrections improvements. He won the election against Republican James M. Inhofe and became the nation’s youngest governor at the time, inaugurated at age 33 on January 12, 1975.

As governor, Boren championed tax cuts, state government reorganization, corrections reform, and education funding. He led the passage of "sunset" legislation that eliminated more than 100 state agencies and fought for workers' compensation reform. Nationally, he gained recognition during the 1970s energy crisis for advocating the deregulation of natural gas prices, leading to his appointment by President Jimmy Carter as chair of a national energy task force.

U.S. Senate Career

In 1978, Boren announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, vowing to take his reform agenda to Washington. He won the election and served three terms, establishing himself as a bipartisan leader and expert in political compromise. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he played a key role in national security and intelligence oversight. He was re-elected twice before resigning in 1994.

President of the University of Oklahoma

Boren left the Senate in 1994 to become president of the University of Oklahoma. Under his leadership, OU saw significant financial growth, securing major contributions and positioning the university among the best-funded institutions in the nation. He also founded the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence to support education initiatives.

Boren retired as president of the University of Oklahoma in June 2018 amid a probe into allegations of sexually harassing a student. Boren denied any wrongdoing and the allegations never resulted in charges or a civil lawsuit.