Representative John Talley

State Representative John Talley was raised in Anadarko, Oklahoma and there discovered his passion for agriculture and hard work through FFA and the sport of wrestling. After graduating high school in 1973, John enrolled at Oklahoma State University where he lettered in wrestling, earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education, and met his wife Caryl. House District 33 has been his home now for more than 40 years. John and Caryl have two grown children and three grandchildren.

As the representative from District 33, John often draws from his diverse background when making decisions at the State Capitol. Coming from a family of educators, he understands the importance of supporting schools in their crucial work of investing in Oklahoma’s kids. From his ministry of visiting prisons across the state, he knows that true criminal justice reform should bring Oklahoma’s prison system back to correcting criminal behavior so nonviolent offenders become productive citizens while violent offenders are kept behind bars.

In 1978 John became an ordained minister and has worked with young adults ever since. Today he is the director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for North Central Oklahoma, where a focus of his ministry is with student athletes and coaches across District 33, as well as OSU students. In addition to his school visits through FCA, John’s ministry includes facilitating hundreds of team-building programs each year for professional, college, high school, and junior high athletic teams, as well as professional, public, and private entities of all age ranges. One of his popular messages is “focus on the positive” to fight the negative. “With that focus,” he says, “you change not only your outlook about yourself but also your outlook about others.”

John has served as police chaplain with Stillwater Police Department and currently serves as chaplain of the OSU football team. John is the recipient of the OSU Outstanding Agriculture Educator Alumni Award. Recently, he was honored to be elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives to serve his beloved House District 33.

As a representative, John believes his first job is to listen to his constituents about the hopes and needs of every community in District 33, from Cushing to Coyle, Yale to Ripley, and Stillwater to Perkins. He knows that rural Oklahomans are hard-working, trustworthy, and giving people, and he’s proud to represent rural Payne County.