Oklahoma Journeys

Week of May 24, 2008

Alexander Posey Dies – May 27, 1908

This week on Oklahoma Journeys we say goodbye to Alexander Posey, noted Creek poet and man of letters. There have been many gifted writers, authors, and poets to come out of Oklahoma and some say that Alexander Posey was one of the best. Posey and his unfortunate passing this week on Oklahoma Journeys from the Oklahoma History Center.

From the Oklahoma History Center, this is Oklahoma Journeys. I’m Michael Dean.

Oklahoma has produced many great writers, authors and poets over the years many of whom have gained international prominence. A lot of people, however, may not be familiar with the life or work of Creek poet and author Alexander Posey. Posey was born in 1873 and grew up in and around Eufaula, attending grade school there before transferring to Bacone University in Muskogee. Young Posey learned English, enjoyed writing and found great enjoyment in perusing the library at Bacone. He quickly became noted for his beautiful prose and witty articles as well as his sharp style of dress. Posey always looked and dressed the part of a distinguished gentleman. Pictures usually show him dressed in tailored suits, complete with walking stick and dress gloves. Directly following his graduation from college at the age of 22, Posey was elected to the Creek Legislature and following that he moved from job to job, serving for a time on the Dawes Commission helping with the allotment process. During all of his various occupations though Alex Posey always kept up with his writing and he eventually took a job at the Eufaula Indian Journal newspaper. During the battle over single or dual statehood Posey worked diligently arguing for two separate states and it’s believed that it was Posey who suggested the name of Sequoyah for the proposed state that was to occupy the eastern half of what became Oklahoma.

Although Posey was involved in a variety of occupations and projects, his writing continued to earn him the greatest notoriety. Over a period of years Posey produced what came to be called the Fus Fixico letters a simultaneous commentary and satire on contemporary area politics. These letters always took the form of a conversation between two people bantering about the politics of the day, occasionally a well-known local politician might pop up in the conversation but the name would always be altered just slightly to both be humorous and legal. The Fus Fixico letters were funny, insightful commentaries on the state of Native Americans at the time and attracted worldwide attention. The London Times went so far as to reprint the articles in their entirety. By 1908 Posey seemed poised on the verge of success on a worldwide scale but such was not to happen. It was in this week of 1908 that Posey in attempting to cross a rain-swollen river was swept up in the current and disappeared. His body was recovered nearly a month later, miles downstream. Gone at the age of thirty-five, his loss was mourned by many across the country.

You can learn more about Posey by visiting the American Indian gallery at the Oklahoma History Center. In addition, the research library at the Oklahoma History Center holds many of Posey’s writings and records and is open for research six days a week. The Oklahoma History Center is located on Northeast 23rd Street, just east of the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Journeys is a production of the Oklahoma History Center dedicated to the collection, preservation and sharing of our state’s past. I’m Michael Dean.