{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cole.house.gov/media/press-releases/cole-mourns-passing-former-oklahoma-governor-george-nigh", "Cole Mourns the Passing of Former Oklahoma Governor George Nigh", "2025-07-30", "2025", "2025-07", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Tom Cole", "C001053", "cole.house.gov", "cole", "https://cole.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Olivia Porcaro 202-225-6165\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after former Oklahoma Governor and longtime politician George Nigh passed away at the age of 98:\n\n\u201cIt was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of an Oklahoma political legend, former Governor George Nigh. Nigh served as Governor of Oklahoma on four separate occasions, two short stints when others left the office early followed by two full terms from 1979-1987. He also served four complete terms as Oklahoma\u2019s Lieutenant Governor, several terms in the state House of Representatives, and five years as President of the University of Central Oklahoma in the 1990\u2019s.\n\n\u201cA talented public speaker, Nigh was a gifted politician, a gregarious and tireless campaigner, and an upbeat and optimistic leader. It was impossible not to like George Nigh and respect him as a person. Indeed, he may well have been the most personally popular political figure in Oklahoma history. He did not win every race he ran, but he was always a gracious loser and, more often, a magnanimous winner \u2014 two qualities that Oklahoma voters and political opponents appreciated.\n\n\u201cNigh had a quick and easy wit. When I told him on one occasion that he had been the speaker at both my high school graduation in 1967 and the ceremony where I was awarded my Ph.D in 1984, he immediately quipped, \u2018I hope I didn\u2019t use the same jokes twice!\u2019 Then, when I reminded him that I had been his opponent\u2019s deputy campaign manager in 1982 \u2014 an election in which my candidate became the only Republican gubernatorial nominee in Oklahoma history to lose all 77 counties \u2014 Nigh had a quick retort. \u2018At least I helped you set a record that no one can break,\u2019 he said with a grin.\n\n\u201cGeorge Nigh and I belonged to different political parties and had some sharp political disagreements over the years. However, I always respected his personal decency, his sunny disposition, his commitment to public service, and his deep love for the people and the state of Oklahoma. I join his many friends and admirers in mourning the passing of a good man and a great Oklahoman,\u201d said Congressman Cole.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:40:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cole.house.gov/media/press-releases/cole-mourns-passing-former-oklahoma-governor-george-nigh"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4819060452282429, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}