Oklahoma Politicians
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Carl Albert, born in McAlester on May 10, 1908, won a Rhodes Scholarship after graduating from OU in 1931. He went on to attend Oxford and receive two Bachelor degrees. Carl Albert ran for Congress in 1946, as a Democrat, and eked out a win against his fellow Democrats in a runoff. He became known as "the little giant from Little Dixie" for his work in Congress. He was a member of the State House of Representatives from 1947-1976, the final years of which he was the 46th Speaker of the House.
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Born on May 23, 1875, Catherine Ann (Kate) Barnard became the first woman elected as a State official in the United States in 1907. She served as the Commissioner of Charities and Corrections, the only position available for a woman to hold, in Oklahoma for 8 years. She is known for her humanitarian work and legislations leading to the regulation of child labor and the creation of a juvenile justice system. Kate is often referred to as "Our Good Angel."
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Former Tribal Chief Wilma Mankiller became the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1985. Mankiller was born on November 18, 1945, in Tahlequah. Though up against the male-dominated world of the Cherokee Nation when she became Principal Chief, she managed to create a sense of community within the Nation and assisted in providing the help it needed to become self-sufficient. She is also the author of many books, including Mankiller: A Chief and Her People.
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Oklahoma's 9th Governor, William "Alfalfa Bill" Murray was born in Texas on November 21, 1869, and finally moved to Indian Territory (Tishomingo) in 1898. His nickname came because he often gave speeches on a tract of alfalfa he had. Murray was a significant part of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention which ended with Oklahoma becoming a state. He became governor in January 1931.
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Stand Watie was the last Confederate general to surrender during the Civil War. Watie was born on December 12, 1906, in Georgia, and was in favor of the Removal of the Cherokee to Oklahoma. Because of this support, after the forced removal of the Cherokees who remained (known as the Trail of Tears), he and his brother, Buck, were targeted for assassination. Stand Watie managed to survive. In 1861, Watie became one of only two Native Americans to rise to the rank of brigadier general. He finally surrendered on June 23, 1865.
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