A true “Okie from Muskogee”, Drew Edmondson has dedicated his life to the service of others. Edmondson graduated from Northeastern State University and The University of Tulsa College of Law before joining the United States Navy and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam.

Edmondson worked as a teacher before being elected to the Oklahoma Legislature and then Muskogee County District Attorney. In 1994 he was elected Oklahoma Attorney General, an office he held for 16 years. He used his time during this period to make a generational impact.

In 1998 he joined seven other attorneys general to negotiate a $206 billion national settlement that would forever change the way tobacco companies market their products. In Oklahoma, the settlement led to the creation of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust—TSET—a constitutionally protected fund championed by Edmondson to guarantee the tobacco settlement proceeds would be spent on public health in perpetuity. Today, TSET contains more than $1 billion and has helped make Oklahoma a hub for cancer research.

Edmondson also championed sustainable clean water, successfully filing suit against a dozen poultry companies for polluting the Illinois River. The lawsuit led to remediation of the watershed, even as the state awaits a final, court-approved remediation plan.

During his time in office, Edmondson fought public corruption and Medicaid fraud, protected victim’s rights, and enforced the Open Meetings Act. He served as president of the National Association of Attorneys General and was given its highest award. Since 2010 Edmondson has been in the private practice of law.