G. T. Blankenship

George Tony Blankenship Jr. (March 11, 1928 – April 20, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1971 and in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1961 to 1966. He also served as the minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives between 1964 and 1966 and was the first Republican Attorney General of Oklahoma.

A member and minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, he initiated the investigation of corruption on the Oklahoma Supreme Court that resulted in the removal of three justices during the 1965 Oklahoma Supreme Court scandal and changing the process by which future justices would be selected. Leaving the House to run for higher office, Blankenship served as the 10th attorney general of Oklahoma. After serving as attorney general, he entered private law practice in Oklahoma City and served two terms on the University of Oklahoma's board of regents.

Early life George Tony Blankenship was born in Oklahoma City on March 11, 1928, to George Tony Blankenship and Daisy Dean Blankenship. He attended Jefferson Elementary, Taft Junior High, and Classen High School. He went on to the University of Oklahoma and received a Bachelor of Arts. He was then admitted to the OU College of Law where he earned a Bachelor of Laws in 1954 and became an attorney.

In the 1966 general election, Blankenship became the first Republican in state history to be elected Attorney General of Oklahoma.