A native of McAlester who served in the military, taught in classrooms and became revered as “a true public servant,” former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh died Wednesday, July 30, at age 98.
Nigh’s death was announced by attorney Bob Burke, who compiled remarks about his friend from other former Oklahoma governors.
“If I compiled a list of the top five people who had the greatest impact and influence on my life, George Nigh, along with my parents, would be on it,” said former Gov. Brad Henry. “George was a longtime dear friend, a mentor and a true public servant. He was a great man, but, perhaps more importantly, he was a really good guy. Few, if any, have had as significant of an impact on our state for as long as George did.”
Noting Nigh’s penchant for prose, former Gov. Mary Fallin called Nigh “a remarkable man who deeply loved Oklahoma and its people.”
“His long and distinguished service set a standard for public leadership grounded in integrity, bipartisanship and humility,” Fallin said. “He was a very devoted and gifted speaker who inspired many generations with his words, energy and optimism. He devoted his life not just to governing, but to elevating our state’s spirit — whether through promoting Oklahoma tourism, supporting education, or simply being a good neighbor. He was the kind of statesman every generation hopes for. Oklahoma is better because he walked among us and we will miss him.”
Like Fallin, Nigh had served as lieutenant governor — from 1959 until 1963 and from 1967 until 1979 — before he was elected governor in 1978. With Oklahoma’s lieutenant governor long involved with the Department of Tourism and Recreation, Nigh told the story of the time a public opinion firm had been contracted to evaluate Oklahoma’s image on the global stage. In presenting their report, Nigh said the experts had found good news and bad news. The good news, he told Non-Doc about a decade ago, was that there was only one place in the entire world with a negative perception about Oklahoma. The bad news? That place was Oklahoma itself.
Nigh became the fourth prominent Oklahoma politician to die in 2025. Former Gov. and U.S. Sen. David Boren died in February, former U.S. Rep. Wes Watkins died in March, and former Oklahoma House Minority Leader Larry Ferguson (RPawnee) died in May.
“George Nigh captured his age,” former Gov. Frank Keating said. “He loved Oklahoma. Totally. He loved his family. Totally. The ‘State of his State was great.’ He believed. He was a man of love, humility, and goodness. We loved him for who he was and what he was. We shall miss him terribly.”
George Nigh ‘avoided partisanship and discouraged negative campaigning’ Nigh, who served a nine-day term as governor in 1963 after Gov. J. Howard Edmondson resigned, is survived by his wife, Donna, and their daughter, Georgeanne. Nigh appointed Edmondson to fill the seat of U.S. Sen. Robert S. Kerr, who died in office. Nigh then ran for lieutenant governor again in 1966, serving until he was elected to succeed Boren as governor in 1978.
Former Gov. David Walters called Nigh a “great man” who “believed in public service and devoted his life to it as a legislator, lieutenant governor and (who) served as governor longer than any other.”
“But the elected positions paled to who he was, a devout Oklahoman, always encouraging others to work together for the common good. He avoided partisanship and discouraged negative campaigning,” Walters said. “He believed and preached that public service is a noble profession and that politics in a democracy was necessary to have public service. He loved Donna and all his family. He stayed in touch with hundreds of friends with frequent calls and continued to speak to thousands, delivering his last speech to a packed house of 950 people in Tulsa on June 28 after being checked out of the Mercy Hospital ICU on June 26 for pneumonia. Every time I went to see him in the ICU, he would raise up and ask me how many tickets had been sold! He was so happy to receive the first ever Albert Nigh Award for a lifetime of public service and after he was seated, he still led the crowd in a raucous singing of Oklahoma!, which he personally as a young legislator got adopted as our state song.”
Walters said Nigh “seemed to be working his bucket list for the last few months.”
“He wanted to attend the Oklahoma City Memorial Commemoration on April 19 in person to visit with his old friend President Bill Clinton. After his speech, the president immediately spotted George and gave him a great hug,” Walters said. “I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, and without hesitation he said he wanted to speak to the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City. And so, on June 17, Gov. Frank Keating — George wanted it bipartisan — had a ‘fireside chat’ with George about his life and public service before 250 Rotarians. He delivered a beautiful message of gratitude and encouraged the nation to find a way to come together.”
Former Oklahoma Supreme Justice Yvonne Kauger said Nigh “changed my life by appointing me to the Supreme Court and making Oklahoma one of the first states to have two women on the state’s highest court.”
“Had George not made that bold move, the Oklahoma Judicial Center, one of the most beautiful buildings in this part of the country, might not have happened. The Sovereignty Symposium, the nationally known gathering of Native American law experts, might not have been born. He never lost his ability to be funny and witty. He remembered all the stories and was the most entertaining speaker I’ve ever heard. I once asked him if it was really his idea to appoint me or was it Donna’s, and he said he was taking credit for it. But I know that Donna had a lot to do with it. I sent him flowers every year after I was appointed on March 14 to thank him for giving me that honor. He never failed to write me a note and to tell me how proud he was of me. That meant the world to me.”
McAlester resident and former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Steven Taylor said Nigh “has mentored me and been one of my best friends.”
“He launched my 33 year judicial career by appointing me to the district court in 1984. We have been very close friends, and McAlester is our common bond. We continued to stay in touch in his later years with very frequent phone calls and text messages and occasional lunches, and we always celebrated his birthday,” Taylor said. “George was a champion for every young person who aspired to the high calling of a life in public service. His passion was to get things done in a bipartisan way. There were no Republican projects or Democrat projects. There were just projects that were good for Oklahoma. His entire life was dedicated to public service in Oklahoma. He was a great governor, and he was one of my best friends. I will miss him very much. May his memory be a blessing.”
Nigh is often remembered for championing the creation of the “Northwest Passage” connecting Oklahoma City and Boise City via State Highway 3, which becomes Northwest Expressway in OKC.
Former Lt. Gov. Jari Askins said Nigh “has been Oklahoma’s No. 1 cheerleader my entire life.”
“Whether speaking at high school commencements or at Girls State for more than 50 years, his love of young people and our state inspired generations of yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s leaders,” Askins said. “Peace to Donna, Georgeanne and his family. Rest well, good and faithful public servant.”
Tres Savage (William W. Savage III) has served as editor in chief of Non-Doc since the publication launched in 2015. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and worked in health care for six years before returning to the media industry. He is a nationally certified Mental Health First Aid instructor and serves on the board of the Oklahoma Media Center.
Governor Nigh lay in state at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Monday, August 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Public visitation was held on Tuesday, August 5, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hahn-Cook/ Street & Draper Funeral Directors, 6600 Broadway Extension, Oklahoma City A memorial service to honor and celebrate Governor Nigh’s life will be held Thursday, August 14, at 11 a.m. at Crossings Community Church, located at 14600 N. Portland Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73134.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Governor Nigh’s memory to the Donna Nigh Foundation at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, occf. org, 1000 N. Broadway, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 or to the Children’s Health Foundation, chfkids.com, 1001 N.W. 63rd Street, Suite 210, Oklahoma City, OK 73116.
