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ODOL History

The Oklahoma Department of Labor was created by the Oklahoma Constitution (Constitution, Article 6 § 20) in 1907. In August of that year, delegates from the Twin-Territorial Federation of Labor, the State Farmers' Union and the Railroad Brotherhoods met in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to formulate a list of demands for the upcoming constitutional convention. One demand called for the establishment of a State Labor Department.

Consequently, when the new state constitution was ratified by the delegates to the constitutional convention in 1907, the Oklahoma Department of Labor was created. Since its inception, the department has functioned continuously under many different commissioners and governors.

The first commissioner, Charles A. Daugherty served two four-year terms from 1907 to 1915. At that time the Labor Department was located in Guthrie, as were all state agencies. The original staff consisted of five people: a commissioner, an assistant commissioner, a state factory inspector, a superintendent of the State Free Employment Bureau and a stenographer.

The Commissioner of Labor shares the responsibility of protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Labor enforces statutes relating to wage and hour; child labor; asbestos; licensing; alternative fuels; amusement rides; boilers; welders; alarm and locksmith; elevator inspections; and safety and health in the workplace.

Past Commissioners

Melissa M. Houston
2015-2019

Mark Costello
2011-2015

Lloyd Fields
2007-2011

Brenda Reneau
1995-2007


Dave Renfro
1991-1995

Ira Phillips
1990-1991

Dean Calhoon
1987-1990

William Paulk
1979-1987


William A. Foster 
1975-1979

Wilbur Wright
1975-1975

L.P Williams
1973-1975

Wilbur Wright
1971-1973


L.E Bailey
1967-1971

Bill Hughes
1963-1967

Jim Hughes
1947-1963

W.A. Pat Murphy
1927-1947


Claude Connally
1919-1927

W.G. Ashton
1915-1919

Charles A. Daughtery
1907-1915


Last Modified on Mar 22, 2022
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