The Oklahoma State Capital

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The state legislator who presided over the House of Representatives during a billion-dollar expansion of the highway system and sponsored an overhaul of the health care system, reform of Oklahoma's juvenile justice system and one of the biggest tax cuts in state history, is retiring from the Legislature.

Former Speaker Loyd Benson, D-Frederick, announced Thursday he will not seek re-election to an 11th consecutive term in public office.

"I have completed all of the goals I set for myself," he said, reflecting on the legislative posts he has held and on his accomplishments as a state lawmaker. "With term limits affecting my service two years from now, I decided I would vacate the seat and allow a new Representative to begin establishing seniority before the mass exodus in 2004. In the long term this will benefit my legislative district and southwest Oklahoma."

Asked about his plans, he said simply, "I'll just go back to Frederick and practice law."

Serving the citizens of Oklahoma in general, and the residents of House District 63 in particular, "has been a tremendous honor and privilege," Benson said.

The Comanche, Okla., native is completing his 19th year in the House. He was elected in a special election in January 1984 and received a majority vote of more than 80 percent in a four-person race.

In only his second year in the House, Benson was named vice chairman of the Special Committee on State/Tribal Relations, and was appointed chairman of the House Committee on Criminal Justice. In 1987-88 the University of Oklahoma Law School graduate chaired the House Committee on the Judiciary. In 1989 he was named vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and Budget, and chairman of its Subcommittee on General Government and Judiciary.

Then-Speaker Glen D. Johnson tapped Benson to serve as House Majority Leader from 1991 through 1996. Benson's colleagues then elected him Speaker of the 101-member House for two terms: 1997-2000. He was the first House Speaker ever elected from southwestern Oklahoma, and emphasized integrity in the House.

Among his many accomplishments, Benson was the principal author of a juvenile justice reform measure enacted in 1994 that received national recognition. It set up a series of regional detention centers across the state, and began a statewide system for alternative education.

During his tenure as Speaker, he achieved passage of a five-year billion-dollar statewide highway construction program in 1997, supported a $104 million general tax relief package in 1998 and a tax relief program in 1999 for the oil industry, sponsored a comprehensive health care initiative in 2000, endorsed the merger of Presbyterian Hospital with the O.U. Health Science Center, helped promote the overhaul of Oklahoma's car tag system, and backed two capital improvement bond issues, one of which provided seed money for the new veterans center built in Lawton.

This year he was the primary author of the "Goodyear Incentive Bill" which ensures that the tire manufacturer will invest $250 million in retooling its Lawton plant, guaranteeing the continued employment of the 2,400 workers at Lawton-Goodyear.

Benson also served on Red River Boundary Commission that finally established a permanent boundary between Oklahoma and Texas, and was a charter member of the governing board of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology..

His last major assignment was chairman of the House Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting. He said he was very disappointed that bipartisan support could not be gained for an acceptable plan. "The saddest result is that the Legislature abdicated its responsibility, which resulted in the matter being decided by a court."

Despite his impressive achievements, Benson has remained humble. Even while serving as Majority Leader and Speaker of the House he announced Frederick Bombers football games Friday nights; he still announces home games.

"Recently I have been traveling a lot, and without exception people say Loyd Benson is a class act," said Penny Tullis, who served as executive assistant to both Benson and Johnson during their terms as Speaker. "Wherever Loyd chooses to go next will benefit from his leadership ability and common-sense approach to life."

After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Benson served in the U.S. Army in 1965-67, when he was honorably discharged.

He and his wife, Judy, have two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren.