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PrintDewey Bartlett Jr. in his father's footsteps
Dewey Follett Bartlett Sr. became a significant figure in Oklahoma politics more than 40 years ago.
Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. might still be getting acquainted with signing his name and watching his decisions become a reality for Tulsans, but 40 years ago his father was signing that same name and watching his decisions affect Oklahomans’ lives.
Although Dewey Follett Bartlett Sr. became a significant figure in Oklahoma politics in his adulthood, he was a native of Marietta, Ohio, and attended schools in Ohio and New Jersey. He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in geological engineering in 1942. Shortly after graduating, Bartlett served as a combat dive bomber pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.
Following the war, Bartlett moved to a much quieter life in Tulsa. Here, he joined his brother, David, in managing Tulsa-based Keener Oil and Gas Co., which they inherited from their father.
Bartlett’s political life began when he was elected to the state Senate in 1962 and re-elected in 1964. This position helped him transition to become Oklahoma’s second Republican governor, serving from 1967 to 1971.
As governor, Bartlett promoted the construction of the state’s vo-tech system and saw job creation as an essential part of bettering his state and nation.
With this in mind, he fought to connect vo-tech education and economic development in Oklahoma. As a result of his efforts, Bartlett was inducted posthumously into the Career Tech Hall of Fame in 1990.
In 1970, Bartlett, the first Oklahoma governor eligible to run for a second term, lost his position in one of the closest races in state history. However, benefiting from President Richard Nixon’s popularity in Oklahoma, Bartlett was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 1972.
As a U.S. senator from 1973 to 1979, the Tulsan backed oil and gas interests during the 1970s energy crisis. He was unable to continue his efforts in the Senate for a second term. After battling lung cancer for a year, Bartlett announced he would not run for re-election in 1978. He passed away in Tulsa on March 1, 1979.
