Nickles, Donald Lee (1948-…), was a member of the United States Senate from 1981 to 2005. Nickles, a Republican, represented Oklahoma. He served as the Senate Republican whip (assistant leader) from 1996 to 2003.
As a senator, Nickles opposed taxes and regulations on gasoline and other energy sources. He also opposed the Earned Income Tax Credit and increases in the minimum wage. He favored cutting the federal budget and prohibiting tax increases while continuing full funding for the military. He headed the Senate Budget Committee from 2003 to 2005.
Nickles was born on Dec. 6, 1948, in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He served in the Oklahoma National Guard from 1970 to 1976. In 1971, Nickles received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma State University. In 1971, he became vice president and general manager of Nickles Machine Company (later Nickles Industrial Manufacturing Corporation). The firm, started by Nickles’s grandfather, manufactured oil field machinery.
In 1979 and 1980, Nickles served in the Oklahoma Senate. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980 and took office in 1981. He was reelected in 1986, 1992, and 1998. He did not seek reelection in 2004. Nickles retired from office when his final term ended in January 2005.
