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Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Ariaor, Ml 48106-1346 USA mvQ 800-521-0600 LTNlVARSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE DOUGLAS HENRY JOHNSTON AND THE CHICKASAW NATION, 1898-1939 A DISSERTATION SLÎBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACLTLTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY Michael W. Lovegrove Norman, Oklahoma 1999 UMI Number. 9949714 UMI UMI Microform9949714 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 © Copyright by Michael W. Lovegrove 1999 Ali Rights Reserved DOUGLAS HENRY JOHNSTON AND THE CHICKASAW NATION, 1898-1939 A DISSERTATION .APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY BY PREFACE British naturalist Charles Darwin theorized that living creatures have three choices regarding their environment; they can move, adapt, or die. During the 1830s, the Five Civilized Tribes were removed from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States by the United States government to satisfy land-hungry whites' insatiable appetite for land. The Five Nations adapted to their new homes and flourished until the Civil War erupted in 1861, destroying much of what they had built. This is the story of Chickasaw Tribal Governor Douglas Henry Johnston who presided from 1898-1902 and from 1904- 1906, when he, as it turned out, was appointed for life and served until June 28, 1939. He and his people endured another adaptation to environmental change when the United States Congress decreed their lands would be allotted in severalty and their tribal government disbanded. Johnston presided during one the most significant periods in the tribe’s history after removal, yet his story and that of the Chickasaw people during this period has heretofore remained untold. Arrell Morgan Gibson's seminal workThe Chickasavi's, (1971) concluded with the chapter “Death of a Nation" where he described the demise of their government that sounded like the death of the Chickasaw people. They did not die, though their once proud government with its bicameral legislature was gone; however, they adapted arguably better than any of the Five Tribes to the dissolution of their government. After 1906, the Chickasaws through their small but vocal tribal associations helped Johnston lobby Congress for legislation that finacially benefitted the tribe and they worked with their chief executive to conclude tribal aSairs as prescribed IV by federal law. The sovereign nations o f the Five Civilized Tribes were dissolved to make way for the future state of Oklahoma which was created November 16, 1907. When Johnston began his first term as governor, he initiated a life-long policy of obtaining the best possible terms for his people the federal government would allow by being a tough negotiator and masterful politician. Though he had to deal with controversy during his long tenure (including indictments by the federal government in 1905 and an ouster attempt in 1929), Johnston managed to serve his people well during his forty-year administration, serving longer than any Native American leader. Unfortunately there is a paucity of records, making any study of the Chickasaws more difficult. No one can explain exactly why the Chickasaws have so few extant records when compared to other tribes. The records that are available provide a fascinating look at Johnston’s life, told against the background of Chickasaw history from 1898 to 1939. During the preparation of this work I have accumulated debts to many people. Glenda Galvin, Curator of the Council House Museum at Tishomingo and Cultural Center in Ada, and also librarian of the tribal library in Ada, has provided historical resources and encouragement. Tribal Historian and founding editorThe of Journal o f Chickasaw H istory, Richard Green, has generously given of his time and talents well beyond any expectation and I will forever be in his debt. Fay Orr, former Curator of the Council House Museum in Tishomingo, assisted my research during the formative stage. Several fellow members of the Chickasaw Historical Society have given me encouragement including Pat Woods, Kelley Lunsford, Wenonah Gunning, Pauline Brown, Chenena Roach, Betty Kemp, and Kennedy Brown. The able and accommodating staff at the Oklahoma Historical Society Archives greatly facilitated my research and Director William D Welge first interested me in Douglas Johnston as a dissertation topic. The superb staff including Phyllis Adams, Sharron Standifer Ashton, and Tressie Nealy deserve special thanks. I owe another great debt to the staff of the Western History Collections of the University of Oklahoma Libraries, especially John R. Lovett, Jr., Staci McCart, and Jaymie Lang for their help. I am also indebted to Jeffrey Wilhite and Adriana Edwards-Johnson at Government Documents, BLzzell Memorial Library. Archivist Carolyn Hanneman and Assistant Curator Todd J. Kosmerick at the Carl Albert Center Congressional Archives also deserve special thanks. I am most grateful to Carolyn Cuskey for her editorial skills and critique of the manuscript. The intellectual debt owed to my advisor. Professor William W. Savage, Jr., can never be repaid. His contributions to my life and career as a historian are greater than my ability to describe. The only form of acceptable repayment is to help others as he has helped me. Dr. Norman L. Crockett and Professor Danney Goble have provided able counsel when needed. I am also grateful to Professors Terry Rugeley, Donald J. Pisani, and Lesley Rankin-Hill for their support. I also wish to thank my incomparable wife, Julie, and my family who helped me through the three years needed to produce this work. I am also very proud to be Jack L. Lovegrove's son. He is and always has been a great role model for any child. Lastly, vi without our Creator, none of us would be here - let alone have the ability to perform the things we do. To Him I give thanks and praise for the strength to live my life and complete this task. Vll CONTENTS Preface ............................................................................................................................... iv Abstract............................................................................................................ ix Chapter One From Skullyville to the Dawes C om m ission.................................................... 1 Chapter Two Educator Turned Politician............................................................................... 21 Chapter Three The "Court Citizens" and a Divided Nation................................................. 42 Chapter Four The Supplementary Agreement of 1902 ........................................................ 65 Chapter Five 1903 .................................................................................................................... 87 Chapter Six Dissolution of the Government......................................................................... 108 Chapter Seven Proving Ourselves Worthy of the Esteem and Respect............................... 135 Chapter Eight The Tumultuous Twenties ............................................................................... 158 Chapter Nine The 1930s and the End o f An E.................................................................... ra 180 Abbreviations Used in N otes........................................................................................... 212 Endnotes............................................................................................................................. 213 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 240 Appendix.............................................................................................................................248 vm ABSTRACT Douglas Henry Johnston served as governor of the Chickasaw Nation for some four decades. Johnston presided from 1898 to 1902, was re-elected in 1904, and served until his death on June 28, 1939. He served longer than any chief executive o f an Indian nation in the