Thomas Coburn, In Memoriam

           Former Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma Thomas Coburn, known for his opposition to wasteful spending, has died in Tulsa at the age of 72.

            Born in Casper, Wyoming in 1948 Coburn earned a degree from Oklahoma State University and became a manager of an optical company.  After a bout of cancer, he graduated from his alma mater’s medical school and became a doctor, practicing family and maternal medicine.

            Coburn was elected to the U.S. House in 1994, serving three terms and keeping his pledge of a three-term limit.  He was then elected to the Senate in 2004, serving only a promised two terms. 

            The conservative Coburn drew attention to pork, other wasteful spending and especially to earmarks, including corporate subsidies, whether proposed by Democrats or Republicans by publicizing such excessive spending and opposing them in the Senate.  His efforts earned him the nickname of “Dr. No.”  Despite Coburn’s objections to their overspending, his evenhanded fiscal conservatism was respected by all.  The practice of earmarking funds was later prohibited.  The obstetrician also authored several health-related bills and was firmly pro-life.

            After his congressional service, Coburn served on President George W. Bush’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and as a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute on efforts to reform the Food and Drug Administration, among other activities.         

            Coburn agreed to stand as a potential consensus nominee if the 2016 Republican National Convention Delegates had been freed to vote their consciences, as they usually were, instead of nominating Donald Trump.  He later considered running as an independent in the General Election, but declined because of cancer.

           May Tom Coburn’s legacy of opposing wasteful spending serve as an example to other legislators.