10th Oklahoma Legislature

The 10th Oklahoma Legislature was the tenth meeting of Oklahoma's state legislative branch. It consisted of the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives and convened in Oklahoma City for its regular session from January 6 through March 28, 1925. The session took place during the administration of Governor Martin Trapp and formed part of the state's early effort to build permanent public institutions and administrative capacity. The legislature's most significant documented institutional achievement was legislation creating the Bureau of Criminal Identification. The bureau was established as the state's principal investigative law-enforcement body and later evolved into the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, commonly known as the OSBI. This measure gave Oklahoma a centralized mechanism for criminal identification and investigative work at a time when state governments were expanding their role in professional policing and records administration. The legislature operated through two chambers. William J. Holloway served as president pro tempore of the Senate, while J. B. Harper served as speaker of the House of Representatives. The full membership included senators and representatives elected from Oklahoma's legislative districts, with membership and party composition recorded in contemporary state almanac material and government legislative databases. Unlike a commercial brand, the 10th Oklahoma Legislature was a time-bounded governmental institution rather than an ongoing organization with products, customers, or a commercial market. Its relevant “offerings” were legislative acts and public institutions created through law. Its session ended on March 28, 1925, after which it was succeeded by the 11th Oklahoma Legislature. Its historical importance rests primarily on the creation of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and its contribution to the development of Oklahoma's statewide law-enforcement system.

The 10th Oklahoma Legislature met in Oklahoma City during a regular session that began on January 6, 1925, and concluded on March 28, 1925. It was the tenth convening of Oklahoma's state legislative branch and followed the 9th Oklahoma Legislature. The 11th Legislature succeeded it after the 1925 session ended. The legislature was bicameral, consisting of the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives. As with other Oklahoma legislatures of the period, its responsibilities included drafting and passing state laws, appropriating public funds, and establishing or modifying state institutions. The legislature served during the term of Governor Martin Trapp. William J. Holloway presided as president pro tempore of the Senate, and J. B. Harper served as speaker of the House. The session is chiefly associated with the creation of the Bureau of Criminal Identification. Through legislation passed in 1925, Oklahoma established a statewide agency intended to support criminal identification and investigative law enforcement. The agency represented an effort to centralize investigative capabilities and create a more systematic public-safety infrastructure. In subsequent history, the Bureau of Criminal Identification developed into the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, which became the state's leading investigative law-enforcement agency. Contemporary records preserve the legislature's chamber membership and party composition through state almanac material, legislative lists, and government databases. However, the available reference material identifies the legislature principally through its dates, institutional structure, leadership, and major legislation rather than through a complete narrative of every bill considered. The body ceased to exist as a current legislature when its regular session ended on March 28, 1925. It is therefore best understood as a historical governmental institution and a predecessor stage in the development of Oklahoma's criminal-investigation system.

• 1925

  Regular session begins

  [1]10th Oklahoma Legislatureen.wikipedia.org

  The Oklahoma Senate and House of Representatives convened in Oklahoma City on January 6 for the regular session of the 10th Oklahoma Legislature.

• 1925

  Bureau of Criminal Identification established

  [1]10th Oklahoma Legislatureen.wikipedia.org

  Legislation created the Bureau of Criminal Identification, the institutional predecessor of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

• 1925

  Regular session concludes

  [1]10th Oklahoma Legislatureen.wikipedia.org

  The regular session ended on March 28, 1925, after which the 11th Oklahoma Legislature became the succeeding legislative body.

A historical state legislative body focused on lawmaking and the development of Oklahoma's public institutions.

• Public law-enforcement institution · 1925

  Bureau of Criminal Identification

  The legislature's principal documented institutional creation was the Bureau of Criminal Identification. Established through 1925 legislation, it was intended to provide Oklahoma with a centralized state capability for criminal identification and investigative law enforcement. The bureau later developed into the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, making it the direct predecessor of a major contemporary Oklahoma investigative agency.

• 1925

  Create a centralized criminal-identification agencyStrategy

  Background

  Oklahoma's 10th Legislature addressed the need for a statewide investigative and criminal-identification capability during its 1925 regular session.

  Action taken

  The legislature passed legislation establishing the Bureau of Criminal Identification.

  Aftermath

  The bureau later became the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, linking the session to the long-term development of Oklahoma's statewide investigative law-enforcement system.

  Source

1. 110th Oklahoma Legislatureen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Oklahoma Legislatureoklahoma.gov
3. 3Oklahoma House of Representativesokhouse.gov
4. 4Oklahoma Senateoksenate.gov