Our law firm—today known as Moyers Martin—has a long and storied history. The Firm’s history begins with Mr. George Ramsey, who was born in 1874 and relocated from Tennessee to Muskogee, Indian Territory in 1905. At the time of his move, Mr. Ramsey had a wife, a 3 year old child, and $85.00 to his name. After his arrival, Mr. Ramsey quickly became known as the authority on Indian land titles and the emerging field of oil and gas law.
In 1910, Mr. Ramsey partnered with Judge J.R. Thomas to create the law partnership of Ramsey and Thomas. Five years later Edgar de Meules joined the Firm. The Firm’s name changed to Ramsey, de Meules & Rosser in 1916.
During his lifetime, Mr. Ramsey served on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, where he authored 16 opinions, and served as the President of the Oklahoma Bar Association and General Counsel of the American Bar Association.
Mr. Ramsey’s partner Edgar de Meules was born in 1880 and obtained admission to the bar in the Northern District of Indian Territory in 1903. After joining the Firm, Mr. de Meules participated in the Sequoyah Convention where he assisted in drafting the Sequoyah Constitution. Mr. De Meules also presided over the Oklahoma Bar Association and served as the Chairman of the Oklahoma Code Revision Committee which was organized by the Oklahoma Legislature to recodify Oklahoma’s statutes.
In 1918, the Firm’s name was changed to Ramsey, de Meules, Rosser, and Martin to reflect the addition of Mr. Villard Martin.
Mr. Martin was born in South Carolina in the year 1889. During his lifetime Mr. Martin worked for the U.S. Department of Interior. He became a senior partner at the Firm in 1942. Mr. Martin had a vast collection of English law books that he donated to the University of Tulsa in 1952. Mr. Martin served as a director of several oil companies in Oklahoma and was the first Vice President of the Kansas-Oklahoma Division of the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. Mr. Martin’s portrait still hangs in our current offices today.
In 1925, the Firm lost Mr. Rosser and the partnership’s name was changed accordingly. By 1930, the Firm had added another partner, Mr. Garrett Logan, at which time the partnership was known as Ramsey, de Meules, Martin & Logan.
Mr. Garrett Logan was born in Poteau, Oklahoma and practiced law at the Firm from 1925 until his death in 1975. Mr. Logan was a preeminent legal scholar who wrote several legal texts and articles. During his lifetime Mr. Logan served as President of Tulsa County and Oklahoma Bar Associations.
The Firm lost Mr. de Meules and Mr. Ramsey in 1934 and 1942, respectively, after which time the partnership was known as Martin, Logan, Williams & Boesche. From 1942 until 1950, the Firm maintained a partnership name prefixed by Martin and Logan. Then in 1950, Mr. Don Moyers joined the firm and his name rounded out the Firm of Martin, Logan, Finney, Stanton & Moyers.
Mr. Don Moyers was born and raised in Kansas, where he received his law degree from Washburn University after a successful career in education and coaching. In 1949, Mr. Moyers joined the Firm and quickly became one of Tulsa’s most respected lawyers. Mr. Moyers was a member of the Tulsa County, Oklahoma, and American Bar Associations. He also served as the attorney for Oral Roberts University and later joined the Board of Regents where he served as Chairman in 1978. Mr. Moyers is remembered as a civic hero, whose passions included sports, law, and Christianity. Through his service to Oral Roberts University, Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Firm, Mr. Moyers touched the lives of countless individuals.
From 1950 to 1975, the Firm’s name went through various incantations of the names Martin, Logan, Moyers, and Martin. In 1976, the Firm’s name was changed to Moyers, Martin, Conway, Santee & Imel, which was maintained until 1985.
Mr. Jack Santee was born in Skiatook, Oklahoma in 1931, where he was raised before attending the University of Oklahoma on a football scholarship in 1949. Mr. Santee’s OU football career included one national championship as a player (’50) and 2 national championships (’55 and ’56) as a graduate assistant coach. Mr. Santee graduated from OU Law in 1956 and joined the Firm in 1958 after brief stints in banking and serving as a clerk for Federal District Court Judge Royce Savage. During his career, Mr. Santee donated his time to coaching youth football, serving on the OU Board of Regents, and acting as counsel for numerous academic and civic institutions in Tulsa. Mr. Santee maintained regular office hours at the Firm for more than 55 years, before retiring in 2016
Mr. Mickey Imel was a native of Cushing, Oklahoma. Mr. Imel was also a part of Coach Wilkinson’s OU Football teams and graduated from OU law in 1959. After graduation, Mr. Imel spent time as a municipal court judge in Tulsa before being appointed United States District Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma by U.S. Attorney General Bobby Kennedy. Mr. Imel joined the Firm in 1966, where he remained until his passing in 2015. Mr. Imel was known as a talented and aggressive trial attorney throughout the State of Oklahoma. During his career at Moyers Martin Mr. Imel served on the OU Board of Regents and enjoyed spending time with his friends and law partners at Southern Hills.
The Firm name, Moyers, Martin, Santee & Imel, was maintained until 2014, at which time the partnership officially became known as Moyers Martin, the colloquial name that had been used for the Firm for many years.
Moyers Martin is proud of its long history serving private and corporate citizens from across the nation and looks forward to continually providing unparalleled legal representation for many years to come.
