The Oklahoman: Oklahoma family, friends cheer as Paul Ryan takes over as speaker of the House

The Oklahoman - Chris Casteel

Along with the Wisconsin family cheering Paul Ryan's ascension to speaker of the House on Thursday was an Oklahoma contingent, including Ryan's father-in-law and former U.S. Rep. Dan Boren.

Ryan, a Republican who became the youngest speaker since 1869, married into an Oklahoma family in 2000 and has become a regular visitor to Marshall County and the state's best hunting and fishing areas.

“Paul Ryan may not be Oklahoma's favorite son, but he's certainly Oklahoma's favorite son-in-law,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, whose district includes Madill, the hometown of Ryan's wife, Janna Little Ryan.

“I am particularly pleased that a guy with hunting dogs named Boomer and Sooner is now speaker of the House,” Cole said.

Boren, who left Congress nearly three years ago and now works in Oklahoma City, said Thursday he got to know Ryan and went hunting with him when he was dating Janna Little. “Paul is a person of high integrity,” said Boren, who also praised Ryan's proposal for restoring the House traditions that allow input from more members.

Dan Boren's cousin

Janna Little Ryan is Boren's cousin, and the two grew up close. She is named after Boren's mother, and Boren named his daughter Janna.

Her father, Dan Little, is an attorney and businessman who has served as a University of Oklahoma regent and chairman of the board of trustees for the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics. He was sitting in the House gallery on Thursday with his daughter and grandchildren.

Her late mother, Prudence Little, graduated first in her class at the OU College of Law in 1968 and was one of the first members of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. She also served as chairman of the OU Foundation.

Janna Little Ryan's grandfather, Reuel W. Little, was born in the town of Kingston when Oklahoma was still Indian Territory. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma and the OU Law School and started a law firm in Madill, where Dan Little still works.

Dan Little's longtime law partner, Lynn Windel, also was in the gallery Thursday.

Janna Little Ryan worked on Capitol Hill in the early 1990s for former Rep. Bill Brewster, who represented the Oklahoma district that included Marshall County. She later became a tax attorney and met Ryan when he was serving his first term in Congress.

Ryan was reluctant to run for speaker in large part because he wanted to preserve as much time with his family as possible in Wisconsin.

Boren, who left Congress largely because of his young children, said it's possible to balance family with the work and travel required of House members but “it's certainly not always easy.” He said he thought Ryan could manage it.

Online:The Oklahoman