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Posted: Jul 30, 2025 1:06 PMUpdated: Jul 30, 2025 1:06 PM
Former Gov. George Nigh Dies at 98, Leaves Bartlesville Legacy
Nathan Thompson
Former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh died Wednesday at the age of 98.
The McAlester native had important roles in developing Bartlesville into the community it is today.
In August 1981, Nigh introduced a $49.8 million plan to reconstruct U.S. 75 as a four-lane highway between Bartlesville and Tulsa. A long-held urban legend is that Phillips Petroleum Company executives threatened to pull the headquarters from Bartlesville if the highway project was not completed.
Nigh also came to the defense of Phillips Petroleum in the 1980s during several hostile takeover attempts from T. Boone Pickens and Carl Icahn. In 1985, Nigh signed a bill into law that granted state officials the power to block hostile takeovers of energy companies.
After his final term in office ended in 1987, Nigh remained active in state politics and in education. Nigh was a teacher in McAlester before he served his first term as lieutenant governor in 1959. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Career Tech Hall of Fame in 1990 and served as president of the University of Central Oklahoma from 1992-1997.
He remained active in state politics long into his life, making several trips to Bartlesville.
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