{{Short description|American politician}} {{Redirect|Mary Easley|the first lady of North Carolina|Mary P. Easley}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Mary Easley | image = Mary Easley.jpg | state_senate = Oklahoma | district = 18th | term_start = 2004 | term_end = 2010 | predecessor = Kevin Easley | successor = Kim David | state_house2 = Oklahoma | district2 = 78th | term_start2 = 1997 | term_end2 = 2004 | predecessor2 = Flint Breckinridge | successor2 = Jeannie McDaniel | party = Democratic | birth_place = Cassville, Missouri, U.S. | alma_mater = Friends University<br>Oklahoma State University | profession = Teacher | spouse = Truman Easley | children = Kevin Easley }}
'''Mary L. Easley''' served as the Oklahoma Senator representing District 18, which includes Mayes, Tulsa and Wagoner counties from her win in a special election in 2004 until 2010. She previously served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1996 through 2004, representing District 78.<ref>[http://almanac.okstate.edu/ Darcy, R. and Jennifer Paustenbaugh, ''Oklahoma Women's Almanac'', 2005] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195232/http://almanac.okstate.edu/ |date=2016-03-03 }}</ref>
==Early life== Mary L. Easley was born in Cassville, Missouri, where her parents were farmers. She grew up around the majority of her extended family and has fond memories of being raised in rural Missouri. After high school, Easley attended Southwest Baptist University. She met her husband, Truman, and moved to Wichita, Kansas, with him for his job at Boeing Aircraft. Easley completed her undergraduate degree at Friends University as well as began to work on her master's.<ref name="vote smart">{{cite web|title=Mary Easley's Biography|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/12469/mary-easley#.VTkVa2d0wdU|website=votesmart.org|publisher=Vote Smart|accessdate=23 April 2015}}</ref> For about a year, she worked on her degree while teaching. After that year Easley went to Wichita State. Her first teaching position was in Valley Center, Kansas.
In 1967, the couple moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Easley began teaching in Owasso, Oklahoma and remained there for 24 more years. Easley taught English at Owasso High School.<ref name="oral history">{{cite journal|last1=Finchum|first1=Tanya|title=Oral history interview with Mary Easley|journal=Women of the Oklahoma Legislature|date=November 10, 2009|url=http://dc.library.okstate.edu/cdm/ref/collection/legislature/id/311|accessdate=23 April 2015}}</ref>
==Oklahoma House of Representatives (1997-2004)== Toward the end of her teaching career, Easley's son Kevin was a state senator. This started to inspire Easley to become involved with politics in order to attempt to pass legislation that she was concerned about. Soon Easley decided to retire from education and begin campaigning. Her campaign slogan was the same one her son used: "Easley the Best Choice." Easley was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1997. It was the first time that a mother and son served simultaneously, though Kevin was in the Senate at the time.<ref name="oral history" /> She served until 2004, when she took her son Kevin's Oklahoma Senate seat.
===Committees=== *Banking chairman
==Oklahoma Senate (2004-2010)== Kevin decided to leave office to pursue a different career and convinced his mother, Mary Easley, to run for his vacated seat.<ref name="the oklahoman">{{cite news|last1=Previch|first1=Chad|title=Legislator wins seat son vacated in Senate|url=http://archive.newsok.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Search&Key=DOK/2004/04/07/13/Ar01305.xml&CollName=APA3_DOK_2004-2006&DOCID=56142&PageLabelPrint=13A&skin=%4f%6b%6c%61%68%6f%6d%61%6e&AW=%31%34%32%39%38%30%37%38%39%31%36%34%37&AppName=%32&sPublication=%44%4f%4b&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%53%63%6f%72%65%2c%64%65%73%63&sQuery=%6d%61%72%79%20%65%61%73%6c%65%79&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&dc:creator=&PageLabel=&dc:publisher=&ViewMode=GIF|accessdate=23 April 2015|agency=online digital archives|issue=April 7, 2004|publisher=The Oklahoman}}</ref> Easley worked on passing several bills concerned with education during her terms in the Senate. She authored the Autism Insurance Bill, which did not pass. The bill would essentially help to provide insurance for families struggling with an autistic child. Easley was especially dedicated to bettering the education of children with disabilities.<ref name="senate press release">{{cite web|title=Senate Recognizes Special Olympics Oklahoma Family Of The Year|url=http://www.oksenate.gov/news/press_releases/press_releases_2008/pr20080515b.html|website=oksenate.gov|date=15 May 2008 |publisher=Oklahoma State Senate|accessdate=23 April 2015}}</ref>
===Committees=== *Education committee * Vice-chair of the Energy committee *Vice-chair of the Transportation committee
==References== <references/>
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150430152031/http://www.oksenate.gov/Senators/Default.aspx?selectedtab=0] ''official State Senate website'' *[http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=12469 Project Vote Smart - Mary Easley (OK)] profile *''Follow the Money'' - Mary Easley **[http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=97790 2008] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=79012 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=18353 2004] Senate campaign contributions **[http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=6518 2002] State House campaign contributions *[https://library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/digital/wotol/ Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project -- OSU Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223042458/https://library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/digital/wotol/ |date=2017-12-23 }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Easley, Mary L.}} Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators Category:21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Category:Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Category:Women state legislators in Oklahoma Category:Friends University alumni Category:Oklahoma State University alumni Category:Politicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma Category:People from Cassville, Missouri Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:20th-century members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Category:20th-century American women politicians