Born Des Moines, Iowa, November 17, 1934.

A graduate of Central High School in Tulsa, Inhofe received a B.A. in economics from the University of Tulsa in 1973, after serving in the United States Army from 1954-1956.

Elected to the State House of Representatives in a Special Election in 1966, Inhofe was later elected to the State Senate in 1968 and 1972.

In 1978, he was elected mayor of Tulsa, winning re-election to that post in 1980 and 1982. Elected to Congress in November 1986, he was re-elected in 1988, 1990 and 1992.

Inhofe relinquished his Congressional seat in 1994 to run for the U.S. Senate, and was elected to fill an unexpired term. He was re-elected to a full six-year term in 1996 and in 2002.

Inhofe and his wife, Kay, have four children.