Senator James Lankford: A Dedicated Public Servant

Lankford grew up in a modest household, shaped by the values of faith and hard work. His parents divorced when he was four years old, and he lived with his mother and older brother for a time in his grandparents' garage apartment. At the age of eight, Lankford became a Christian, an event that would profoundly influence his life and career. When his mother remarried, the family moved to Garland, Texas, where he attended Lakeview Centennial High School.

Lankford pursued higher education at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with a focus on speech and history in 1990. He later obtained a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1994. Ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, Lankford's deep faith has been a cornerstone of both his personal and professional life.