Richard Charles Lerblance (March 9, 1946 – July 25, 2026) was an American and Muscogee attorney and politician who served on the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court from 2012 to 2026. He previously served in the Oklahoma Senate representing the 7th district from 2003 to 2012 and in the Oklahoma House of Representatives between 2002 and 2003.
Early life and education Richard Lerblance was born in Oklahoma City on March 9, 1946, to W. P. Lerblance and Alyce Knight. He was raised in Hartshorne, Oklahoma, where he graduated high school in 1964. He later graduated from Eastern Oklahoma State College in 1967 with an associate degree, Central State University in 1970, and the Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1978.
Career After graduating law school, he founded the Lerblance Law Firm in Hartshorne. He was later an elected city councilor of Hartshorne, member of the Hartshorne school board and a chief of the Hartshorne fire department. In 1990, he was appointed to the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court and he served two six-year terms until 2002. In 2002 he was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives where he served until his election to the Oklahoma Senate in 2003 to succeed Gene Stipe. He served in the state senate until term limited in 2012. From 2012 to 2026, he has served on the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court.
Lerblance also served as a city attorney for Wilburton, Oklahoma, and a supreme court justice for the United Keetowah Band of Cherokee Indians.
Lerblance died in McAlester, Oklahoma, on July 25, 2026, at the age of 80.
References
External links Senator Richard Lerblance - District 7 official State Senate website Project Vote Smart - Richard Lerblance (OK) profile Follow the Money - 2008 2006 2004 State Senate campaign contributions 2002 State House campaign contributions