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Rep. Frank Lucas is a member of Northfork Electric Cooperative and a member of Congress. Lucas takes pride in staying involved with his local community. Photo by James Pratt
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Like his parents, the farmer apprentice found joy in working the land and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. He took pride in the legacy of his family, farming pioneers in Oklahoma for over 100 years. However, what the young boy did not realize at the time was his farm upbringing would provide him the foundation for his life’s calling: a champion for agriculture. For 20 years, U.S. Rep. Lucas has served his fellow Oklahomans as a member of Congress. Currently, Lucas is the House Committee on Agriculture Chairman, and he proudly repre- sents the state’s largest district—Oklahoma’s 3rd Congressional District—and has been a tireless sup- porter of the rural quality of life.
Oklahoma Roots Born in Cheyenne, Okla., Lucas is a fifth-gener- ation Oklahoman. He was born to parents T. E. “Ike” and Brilla Aderholt Lucas, dairy farmers in Roger Mills County. Ike and Brilla were born in 1931 and 1932, respectively. The couple faced try- ing years during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression; however, despite the difficulties faced, the year 1948 marked a bright moment for the old family homestead. Northfork Electric Cooperative, based in Sayre, Okla., brought electric lines to
Roger Mills County, providing reliable electric ser- vice to the farm.
“I still remember I was five years old when a phone line was installed on our farm,” Lucas said. “My parents and grandparents did not have many of our modern conveniences and the infrastructure we now enjoy. My great grandfather installed an electric generator in the 1920s, and it went away during the difficult times of the Great Depression. My grandfather said that there were some small wind chargers used by the neighbors.” Lucas has one younger sister, Julie Lucas O’Neal,
who was behind him one year in grade school. As a young lad, Lucas was active in 4-H and Future Farmers of America. He enjoyed attending Northfork Electric Cooperative’s annual meeting with his family at the city park in Sayre each year. A loyal helper to his parents and a hard-working young man, Lucas graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1978. At age 17, his maternal grandfather, Fred Aderholt, co-signed a lease for Lucas to rent an old farm, allowing him to begin farming on his own. His grandfather also co-signed a loan to pro- vide the young farmer enough money to buy needed equipment; but in 1978, Lucas experienced his first wheat crop failure, learning for himself the challenges farmers often face.
I will always be a resident of Roger Mills County. I am the member at the end of the line for my electric cooperative, Northfork Electric. I’m at the end of the line for my cooperative water line. I’m at the end of the line for a local independent phone company, and I will always be at the end of a dirt road.
Rep. Frank Lucas ” 20
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