Muskogee Federal Courthouse renamed for congressman

<br>MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ The federal courthouse is being renamed for former Congressman Ed Edmondson. <br><br>A bill to rename the building ``Ed Edmondson United States Courthouse'' was signed

Thursday, September 18th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ The federal courthouse is being renamed for former Congressman Ed Edmondson.

A bill to rename the building ``Ed Edmondson United States Courthouse'' was signed Wednesday by President Bush. U.S. Rep. Brad Carson, D-Okla., authored the measure.

Edmondson was born in Muskogee in 1919 and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1940. As a law student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., he became a tour guide for the FBI. He advanced to clerk and then special agent.

Edmondson served 25 months in the South Pacific in the Navy during World War II. His military service continued with the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1970.

He later was county attorney for Muskogee County.

In 1952, Edmondson was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served on the Public Works Committee and the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. He served until 1972, unsuccessfully running for the Senate in 1972 and 1974.

Edmondson, who died in 1990, is the father of Jim Edmondson, a state district judge in Muskogee, and Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson. His brother was former Oklahoma Gov. James Howard Edmondson.

``Ed Edmondson devoted his life to the service of the country and the people of Oklahoma,'' Carson said.

``I feel honored today to both hold the office that this outstanding Oklahoman once held and to be able to pay tribute for his service to our state and nation.''