Don Nickles
A staunch conservative from Oklahoma who shaped fiscal policy and became the state's longest-serving senator before turning to influence as a lobbyist.
Born 1948 (age 78)·American politician·Birthday: December 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Don Nickles arrived in Washington as part of the Reagan wave, a young businessman from Ponca City who saw government as something to be made more efficient, not larger. Over 24 years in the Senate, his quiet, determined style earned him respect and power, culminating in the role of Assistant Majority Leader. Nickles was a consistent architect of tax-cut legislation and a vocal advocate for conservative social values, often finding himself at the heart of budget battles and judicial confirmation fights. His departure from the Capitol did not mean a retreat from politics; instead, he leveraged his deep knowledge of the legislative process to build a successful lobbying firm, ensuring his influence on policy continued long after his electoral career ended.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Don was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Don Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Don's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a United States Senator from Oklahoma for four terms, from 1981 to 2005.
- Held the position of Senate Assistant Majority Leader from 1996 to 2003.
- Was a principal sponsor of the 2001 tax cut bill known as the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act.
- Founded The Nickles Group, a prominent Washington, D.C. lobbying firm, after retiring from the Senate.
Did You Know?
He was the first Republican to represent Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate since the 1920s.
Nickles worked in his family's machine and welding business before entering politics.
He was elected to the Senate at the age of 32.
He initially supported term limits for Congress.
“We need to get the federal government out of the way.”
