Jim's Obituary
He is survived by: His wife of 61 years: Nancy Hamilton of the home
One daughter: Melissa Todd and husband Mike of Tahlequah, Oklahoma
One son: Dr. Lance Hamilton and wife Darla of Bentonville, Arkansas
One sister: Jane Hamilton of Rogers, Arkansas
Four grandchildren; Four great-grandchildren
Numerous other relatives and a host of many friends
He was preceded in death by his parents, Clem and Cecil Hamilton and one granddaughter, Elle Hamilton.
Jim E. Hamilton was born in rural LeFlore County. In high school, he earned the Junior Master Farmer degree and served as State Vice President of FFA. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Hamilton earned his law degree at the University of Oklahoma and was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar in 1960. He then served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, finishing first in his class of artillery training at Fort Sill.
Hamilton opened a law office in Poteau, where he practiced nearly 50 years. His father, Clem, served 17 years as a State Senator, and Hamilton followed in his father’s footsteps, eventually serving as President Pro Tempore. Later he served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for 14 years—eight of those as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. The pair’s total of 40 years is the longest combined legislative service for a father and son since statehood.
While Hamilton was State Senator, a U.S. Job Corps training center near Heavener, operated by the U.S. Forest Service, closed. Hamilton asked Gov. Dewey Bartlett if he would support using the buildings for a minimum security prison that would offer Vo-Tech training and educational opportunities to inmates. Congressman Carl Albert had agreed to work for transfer of the federal facility to the State of Oklahoma.
Gov. Bartlett asked Hamilton to meet with representatives from the Department of Corrections and Dr. Francis Tuttle, State Director of Vo-Tech, to get their opinions. Dr. Tuttle said there was no other combination of Corrections and Vo-Tech at the same site anyplace in the nation. However, both agencies agreed to partner in the venture called Ouachita Correctional Center, now known as the Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center and CareerTech Skills Center.
Corrections own the prison, provide security, and offer GED educational opportunities. CareerTech provides job skill training to prepare inmates for employment upon release. Inmates completing their training earn a certificate of completion issued by the State of Oklahoma, which, at Hamilton’s request, contains no reference to their inmate status. The 40-year partnership has shown that inmates leaving prison with a job skill and a GED are 200 percent less likely to return to prison.
While in the legislature, Hamilton authored legislation creating the Oklahoma Osteopathic College in Tulsa (now OSU Medical Center) and co-authored legislation establishing Tulsa’s branch of the OU Medical School. He also wrote the Constitutional Amendment requiring a balanced budget for state government with 10 percent in reserve for emergencies (Rainy Day Fund).
Funeral service will be 2:00 p.m., Sunday, January 13, 2019 at the First Baptist Church in Heavener, Oklahoma with Brother John Glinski, Dr. Lance Hamilton, Mr. Kenneth Corn, and Brother Sam Dyer officiating. Burial will follow in Heavener Memorial Park under the direction of Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home of Heavener, Oklahoma.
Pallbearers will be: George McBee, Dean Warren, Marc Bovos, Kenneth Corn, Jared Muse, and Jeff Muse.
Honorary Pallbearers will be: Joe Johnson, Mike Addison, James Lockhart, Gillian Dean Robinson, Delton Rowton, Harold Sanders, Jim Mixon, Mike Sullivan, and Hal Dowden.
Viewing will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., Friday and 8:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., Saturday at the funeral home in Heavener
The family will visit with friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Saturday at the funeral home in Heavener.
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