Pleasant Porter
Pleasant Porter (September 26, 1840 – September 3, 1907, Creek), was an American Indian statesman and the last elected Principal Chief of the Creek Nation, serving from 1899 until his death.
Pleasant Porter | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 26, 1840 Indian Territory (now Wagoner County, Oklahoma) |
| Died | September 3, 1907 (aged 66) Vinita, Indian Territory (now Vinita, Oklahoma) |
| Other names | Talof Harjo ("Crazy Bear") |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, statesman |
| Known for | Principal chief of Creek Nation, President of Sequoyah Constitutional Convention |
He had served with the Confederacy in the 1st Creek Mounted Volunteers, as superintendent of schools in the Creek Nation (1870), and as commander of the Creek Light Horsemen (1883). He was elected several times as the Creek delegate (non-voting status) to the United States Congress. In 1905 he was President of the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention, an effort by Native American tribes to acquire statehood for the Indian Territory. Congress did not approve their proposal, instead passing legislation to extinguish their land rights and make their territory part of the new state of Oklahoma in 1907.