For Immediate Release

Contact: Kate Worster, director of communication, 641-269-3404

Grinnell College presents Alumni Awards: Thomas J. Cole '71

Rep. Thomas J. Cole, who represents Oklahoma's Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, was presented with an Alumni Award by Grinnell College on June 2 at the Alumni Assembly held on the College's campus during his 36th reunion. The College's Alumni Council presents these awards annually to graduates who have distinguished themselves by their extraordinary contributions of service to the College, their communities, or their professions.

In making the award, the College commended the Republican Congressman for "his dedicated work as a public servant," and described him as "a sharp political thinker." The College's citation also noted that in pursuing a political career, he was following the footsteps of his mother, who served as both a state representative and senator.

After earning his B.A. in history with honors in 1971, he went on to earn a master's degree in British history from Yale, spent time in London as a Fulbright Scholar and lecturer for the Grinnell-in-London program, and earned a Ph.D. in British history from the University of Oklahoma. He subsequently served in the Oklahoma State Senate for three years while heading up a political consulting firm, which he ran for more than a decade.

In 1991, he took a position in Washington as executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee. He returned to Oklahoma to become the Secretary of State from 1995 to 1999, and then returned to Washington to serve as chief of staff for the Republican National Committee. In 2002, he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which he retained in two subsequent election cycles. He has served as Deputy Republican Whip since 2003.

Grinnell College, founded in 1846, is a private, residential liberal arts college with some 1500 students, located in Grinnell, Iowa. The College awards the Bachelor of Arts in 25 areas of study, and is consistently ranked among the top 20 liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report.