Coburn, Thomas Allen (1948-2020), was a member of the United States Senate from 2005 to 2015. Coburn, a Republican, represented Oklahoma. Coburn was a physician and, before he served in the Senate, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Coburn, usually called Tom, was born on March 14, 1948, in Casper, Wyoming. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Oklahoma State University in 1970. From 1970 to 1978, he was a manufacturing manager for his family’s firm, Coburn Optical Industries. Coburn then went back to school to become a doctor. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma Medical School in 1983. In 1988, he started a medical practice in Muskogee, Oklahoma, specializing in family medicine and obstetrics.
In 1994, Coburn ran for his first political office. He won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, and he was reelected in 1996 and 1998. In the House, Coburn gained a reputation as an outspoken conservative. He focused on such issues as health care and a balanced federal budget. He did not run for reelection in 2000. A supporter of term limits, Coburn had promised when he was first elected to the House that he would serve no more than three terms. After leaving office, Coburn wrote Breach of Trust (2003), which argues that politicians often fail to push for reforms because they are too concerned about being reelected.
In 2004, Coburn was elected to a seat in the U.S. Senate. During his political campaign, he promised that if elected, he would serve no more than two Senate terms. Coburn was elected to a second Senate term in 2010. As a senator, Coburn served on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He also was a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Coburn gained a reputation as a strong conservative who was willing to work with political opponents to forge bipartisan agreements. He also spoke out strongly against the use of earmarks. Earmarks are funds designated for special projects as part of legislative spending bills. Coburn earned the nickname “Dr. No” for blocking or delaying hundreds of bills that he believed would increase federal spending.
Coburn retired from the Senate in January 2015, before the scheduled end of his second term. He died on March 28, 2020.
