H. Res. 1237 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

April 14, 2010. 

Whereas Wilma was born November 18, 1945, at Hastings 

Indian Hospital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and had her 

roots planted deep in the rural community of Mankiller 

Flats in Adair County, Oklahoma, where she spent most 

of her life; 

Whereas at age 10, her family moved to San Francisco as 

part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Relocation Program 

where she lived for two decades before returning to Oklahoma in 1977; 

Whereas upon returning to Oklahoma, Wilma found a job as 

a community coordinator at the Cherokee Nation capital 

and enrolled in graduate courses at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville; 

Whereas in 1983 Wilma ran for the office of Deputy Chief 

alongside Ross Swimmer, then Principal Chief of the 

Cherokee Nation, and the two won the election and took 

office in August, 1983; 

Whereas on December 5, 1985, Wilma was sworn in to replace Chief Swimmer as Principal Chief of the Cherokee 

Nation, making her the first female to hold the office; 
2 

•HRES 1237 EH 

Whereas Wilma was formally elected to serve as the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1987, 

and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 1991; 

Whereas during her time as Principal Chief, Wilma focused 

on education and health care, overseeing the construction 

of new schools, job-training centers, health clinics, community development, and a award winning housing and 

water projects in low-income communities; 

Whereas over the course of her three terms, Wilma made 

great strides to reinstate the traditional Cherokee culture 

and values, especially the role of women, reinvigorating 

the Cherokee Nation through community development 

projects where men and women work collectively for the 

common good; 

Whereas during Wilma’s tenure she transformed the Nationto-Nation relationship between the Cherokee Nation and 

the Federal Government, met with Presidents Reagan, 

Bush, and Clinton to present critical tribal issues, and 

co-chaired a national conference between tribal leaders 

and cabinet members, which helped facilitate the establishment of an Office of Indian Justice within the U.S. 

Department of Justice; 

Whereas upon leaving office Wilma continued her endeavors, 

serving on several philanthropic boards, including 12 

years on the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation, 

4 years on the Board of the Ms. Foundation for Women, 

and 4 years on the board of the Seventh Generation 

Fund and the board of the Freedom Forum and its subsidiary, the Newseum; 

Whereas Wilma presented more than 100 lectures on the 

challenges facing Native Americans and women in the 
3 

•HRES 1237 EH 

21st century and she served as the Wayne Morse Professor at the University of Oregon for the fall semester 

of 2005 where she taught class on tribal government, 

law, and life; 

Whereas Wilma held Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Yale 

University, Dartmouth College, Smith College, Mills College, Northern Arizona University, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa University, Drury College, Saint Mary-ofthe-Woods College, Rhode Island College, New England 

University, and Northeastern State University; 

Whereas Wilma held many honors, including the Montgomery 

Fellowship, Dartmouth College; The Chubb Fellowship, 

Timothy Dwight College, Yale University; San Francisco 

State University, Hall of Fame; an Francisco State 

Alumna of the Year (1988), International Women of Distinction Award, Alpha Delta Kappa, Oklahoma Hall of 

Fame, Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame, National Women’s Hall of Fame, International Women’s Forum Hall of 

Fame, Minority Business Hall of Fame, and she was 

awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then 

President Bill Clinton for her vision and commitment to 

a brighter future for all Americans; 

Whereas Wilma published several works, including ‘‘Every 

Day is a Good Day’’, Fulcrum Publishing 2004, 

‘‘Mankiller: A Chief and Her People’’, co-authored, St. 

Martin’s Press 1993, ‘‘A Reader’s Companion to the History of Women in the U.S.’’, co-edited, Houghton-Mifflin 

1998, and she contributed to many other publications, including an essay for Native Universe, the inaugural publication of the National Museum of the American Indian; 
4 

•HRES 1237 EH 

Whereas upon the announcement of her diagnoses in March 

of 2010, Wilma offered words of inspiration: ‘‘I want my 

family and friends to know that I am mentally and spiritually prepared for this journey; a journey that all 

human beings will take at one time or another. I learned 

a long time ago that I can’t control the challenges the 

Creator sends my way but I can control the way I think 

about them and deal with them. On balance, I have been 

blessed with an extraordinarily rich and wonderful life, 

filled with incredible experiences. And I am grateful to 

have a support team composed of loving family and 

friends. I will be spending my time with my family and 

close friends and engaging in activities I enjoy. It’s been 

my privilege to meet and be touched by thousands of people in my life and I regret not being able to deliver this 

message personally to so many of you’’; 

Whereas Chief Mankiller’s final days were not marred by the 

impending sorrow of her departure, but glowing reminiscence of her influence in years past; and 

Whereas Chief Mankiller passed away in the morning hours 

of April 6, 2010, at her home in rural Adair County, 

Oklahoma: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives expresses— 

(1) gratitude to Wilma Mankiller for her significant 

contributions to the Nation, an inspiration to women in 

Indian Country and across America, and for leaving a 

profound legacy that will continue to encourage and motivate all who carry on her work; and 

(2) deep sorrow at the passing of Chief Mankiller 

and condolences to her friends and family, especially her 
5 

•HRES 1237 EH 

husband Charlie and two daughters, Gina and Felicia, as 

well as the Cherokee Nation and all those who knew her 

and were touched by her good works. 

Attest: 

Clerk.