U.S. Congressman Tom Cole

Description

U.S. Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04)
Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Appropriations 

Monday, November 11, 2024 at 12:00 pm

The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches will present U.S. Congressman Tom Cole, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, on Monday, November 11, 2024 at Noon at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

Identified by Time Magazine as "one of the sharpest minds in the House," Tom Cole is currently serving in his eleventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. At the outset of his service in Congress, Cole was named one of the "Five Freshmen to Watch" by Roll Call. In 2016, he was recognized by Newsmax as the "hardest working member in Congress." He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2017.

Cole is recognized as a tireless advocate for taxpayers and small businesses, supporter of a strong national defense and leader in promoting biomedical research. He is considered the foremost expert in the House on issues related to Native Americans and tribal governments.

Cole is Chairman of the powerful U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, which he has served on since 2009. He also previously served as the Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Rules. Cole also served as a Deputy Whip for the Republican Conference and sits on the House Republican Steering Committee.

A former college instructor in history and politics, Cole holds a B.A. from Grinnell College, an M.A. from Yale University and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. Cole has been a Thomas Watson Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow at the University of London. Cole has also received honorary degrees from Randall University (formerly Hillsdale Bible College) in Moore, Oklahoma City University and Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. He previously served for six years on the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents.

Cole is a fifth generation Oklahoman and an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation. He is one of only five Native Americans currently serving in Congress. Since 2009, he has served as the Republican Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus. The National Congress of American Indians has recognized Cole's distinguished service with the Congressional Leadership award on three different occasions (2007, 2011 and 2017), more than any other Member of Congress in the history of the organization. He was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame in 2004.

Tom and his wife, Ellen, have one son, Mason, and reside in Moore, Oklahoma.

Tickets for this event will go on sale on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. 

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR 

PRESIDENT'S GOLD CIRCLE