J.R. "Bob" Oman has the distinction of being the last (to date) member of a third party to hold office in the Washington State Senate. He is also the last third party gubernatorial candidate to receive enough votes to place him in the double digit percentages (40,073 votes, or 10.27%).

He was born June 11, 1883 in Iowa, the oldest child of Nelson J. and Francis Oman. His father, a Norwegian immigrant, worked on the railroad. The family lived in the area of Oelwein, Iowa. Sometime after the turn of the century they moved to Washington State. Bob had already earned some experience as a machinist by this time.

Oman had apparently started out in Washington working on railroads. Historian Hamilton Cravens wrote that "Oman was an eastern Washington railroad union leader." And historian Richard Fisch called him "a former railroad foreman." In any event, this was apparently not a long-lived occupation for him. He married around 1907 and by 1910 was settled in south Tacoma, where he was starting a family and running a garage and service station.

Although the Farmer-Labor Party was already falling apart after the 1920 election, it still enjoyed support in Pierce County-- more from labor than from farmers. Bob ran for the State Senate under the FLP banner in 1922. An Oman political advertisement stated:

FOR--
Tax Unsurveyed Land
Public Marketing
Home Rule for Cities
Cushman Power Plant
Laws Made by people

AGAINST--
Poll Tax
Hart Code Injunctions
Laws made by Judges

Bob was elected for a four year term. In 1923 the Senate had 1 Democrat, 39 Republicans, and 2 FLP members. By the end of his term he was the last of the FLP Senators.

As one of the few FLP office holders in 1924, Oman was a logical choice as the party's gubernatorial candidate. Along with the other progressive candidates, he tried to ride on the coattails of La Follette, the Progressive Party candidate for President who was enormously popular in Washington State. The Democrats had been successful in co-opting many parts of the progressive platform, and Oman found himself having to run more against Democrat Hill than Republican Hartley. According to Fisch, "Oman maintained that he was the 'Progressive' running for governor and pointed to his perfect voting record on legislation supported by the Grange. 'Don't forget,' he warned, 'A vote for Hill is a vote for Hartley.'"

In addition to having their issues absorbed by the Democrats, the FLP also suffered from inner strife. Bob Bridges, their charismatic leader from 1920, had died in 1921. The Communists had become active within the FLP, driving away the Socialists and causing major philosophical splits. The fact there was a Farmer-Labor candidate for Governor at all was something of a miracle.

Oman's third place finish was consistent throughout all the counties, except for his home, Pierce County, where he placed second. Pierce made up over a quarter of his total vote.

When he ran for and won re-election to the Washington State Senate in 1926, he switched parties and joined the 40 Republicans vs. the 2 Democrats. He went through a political transformation, as his obituary explained: "During the first years of the Hartley-anti-Hartley struggles in the Legislature, Senator Oman was a staunch anti-administration man but toward the close of the 1929 session joined with the Hartley forces ..."

Shortly before leaving office he secured a job as an inspector for the State Industrial Insurance Dept. Although he had been suffering from heart trouble, he still traveled around the state in the course of his job duties. On June 29, 1932 he died in Spokane as a result of heart disease. He was 49.

The Tacoma Daily Ledger summed up: "A congenial companion, 'Bob' Oman built up a wide circle of friends and his good-natured banter enlivened many a political caucus as well as labor gatherings in which he was vitally interested. At times charged with being 'politically unwise,' neither friend nor political foe challenged his sincerity or enthusiasm for a cause."