Cole Mourns Passing of Former Congressman Bill Brewster

Moore, OK – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the passing of former Congressman Billy "Bill" Kent Brewster, who represented what was then Oklahoma's 3rd Congressional District from 1991 until 1997.

"I was saddened to learn of the passing of my good friend and a distinguished Oklahoman, former Congressman Bill Brewster of Marietta," said Cole. "Bill and I first met when we both served in the Oklahoma legislature in the late 1980s. He represented a community where part of my extended family lived. While we belonged to different parties, we quickly became fast friends, often working across the aisle as fellow conservatives supporting issues like Right-to-Work and tort reform.

"Bill went on to serve three terms in Congress. He was a bipartisan conservative Democrat who often found common cause with his Republican counterparts, just as he had in the Oklahoma legislature.

"In 1996, Bill retired from Congress. He was the last Democrat to represent part of the current Fourth District in Congress. He went on to become one of the most effective lobbyists in Washington, representing a variety of Oklahoma-based interests and institutions. No one was better at building the bipartisan coalitions that it takes to accomplish things in Washington, D.C.

"Throughout his career, Bill was always a doer as opposed to being a complainer. He worked with both parties to advance the conservative causes and Oklahoma interests that he championed throughout his career both in and out of public service.

"In all that he did, Bill's indispensable partner was his beloved wife, Suzie. They were a team in everything they did. It is impossible to think of one without thinking of the other.

"Bill, Suzie and their family are very much in my thoughts and prayers. We have lost a great Oklahoman, and I have lost a dear and very special friend."

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