Kent Frates, an attorney, former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, veteran, and writer widely admired for his sharp humor, ethics, storytelling, and candor, died on June 12, 2025, at age 86.
Kent’s contribution to Oklahoma, particularly its legal and political history, is significant. He served in a leadership role in the Oklahoma State Legislature, was a practicing attorney for over five decades, and wrote seven books and a feature film, all centering on Oklahoma.
Kent spent the better part of the last 35 years associated with the firm Hartzog Conger Cason LLP. One cannot overstate his contributions to the firm. He was a consummate trial lawyer with numerous published opinions on a variety of issues to his credit. More importantly, he was a mentor and friend who freely shared his knowledge, skills, and judgment with all the lawyers he worked with at the firm. Kent was fun to work with on a case. He was comfortable in a courtroom and maintained a good relationship with the judges, court staff, and opposing counsel. He was a great example to us all.
Kent was a great storyteller, and he had many stories to tell. A favorite was the story of the abduction of his uncle, Charles F. Urschel, by Machine Gun Kelly in the 1930s. Kent even had a copy of a letter Kelly later sent to Urschel from Alcatraz Island.
More than just a great lawyer, Kent could best be described as a Renaissance man. He was a bird lover and outdoorsman, as well as an avid sports fan. His award-winning Oklahoma Hiking Trails (2010), co-authored by Larry Floyd, is one of the best-selling books in the history of the University of Oklahoma Press. He also published Sports Source Magazine (2001-2006), a statewide publication for outdoor fitness events and activities.
Kent’s personality and keen political observations were reflected in Common Sense, a print newsletter he published featuring his poetry, essays, and political commentary, as well as in A Dubious Collection, his 2022 book of poems and essays, which included the poem, “Eulogies:”
They were all great men
when they died,
as though the inevitable act of dying
made them great,
somehow absolving them of
their normal mediocrity,
when they were
neither great nor small,
just men.
Kent was born in Oklahoma City in 1938 and started writing when he was a student at Casady School. He studied at Stanford University and the University of Arizona Law. He began practicing law in Oklahoma City in the mid-1960s. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve from 1960-1966. He was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1970; from 1976 to 1978, Frates was Minority Leader.
In addition to his volume of poetry and essays, Frates’s most recent non-fiction books focus on Oklahoma legal history: Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases, Volume 2 (2017), Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases (2014), and Oklahoma Courthouse Legends, with photographer David Fitzgerald (2010). His novel, Don’t Never Shoot Short, is set in Cordell (2007). Frates also published a long-format poetry book with Oklahoma artist D.J. Lafon, The Captain and His Crew (1997).
Frates wrote the feature film Cockfight (2007), which was set and filmed in Oklahoma. He was a frequent speaker at museums, historical societies, libraries, and bookstores throughout Oklahoma and the Southwest. Frates was a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Arizona Bar Association.
Frates is survived by his three children, three grandchildren, and former wife and lifelong friend.