Charles N. Haskell

Who was Charles N. Haskell?

Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman and the first governor of Oklahoma. As a delegate to Oklahoma's constitutional convention, he played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution and gaining Oklahoma's admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907. A prominent businessman in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he helped the city to grow in importance. He represented the city as a delegate in both the Oklahoma convention and an earlier convention that was a failed attempt to create a U.S. state of Sequoyah.

During Oklahoma's constitutional convention, Haskell succeeded in pushing for the inclusion of prohibition and blocking the inclusion of women's suffrage in the Oklahoma Constitution. As governor, he was responsible for moving the state capital to Oklahoma City, establishing schools and state agencies, reforming the territorial prison system, and enforcing prohibition.

Lee Cruce succeeded Haskell, who died of a stroke in 1933.