From the Reservation to Washington : The Rise of Charles Curtis

The first person of color to serve as vice president, Charles Curtis was once a household name but has become a footnote in American history. As a mixed-race person who became a public figure in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, his story is more relevant today than ever. He was constantly forced to choose whether to be Indian or white. Society would not let him be both. When his temper flared it was his savage nature coming through; when he presided over the United States Senate with an unprecedented knowledge of the rules and procedures, it was evidence of his civilized ancestry. Charles Curtis was born into Bleeding Kansas and came of age during the most turbulent of times. His father participated in the violence, as a Kansas Redleg avenging the actions of Missouri bushwhackers. As Civil War evolved into the Plains Indian Wars, Curtis was an eyewitness as his own people were starving and even the most powerful of tribes were confined to reservations. These forces shaped his philosophy and perspective. To this day he holds the distinction of being the only person of Native American heritage to be elected the second highest office in the land. He served as the 31st vice president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 under Herbert Hoover. Private and pragmatic, he became a respected statesman championing citizenship for Native Americans and rights for women. But his path of inclusion was perceived by others as destroying tribal sovereignty. Perhaps he realized that. But in his experience the most powerful force on earth was the federal government, and he learned to play the government game and to be better at it than almost anyone else. Cover Contents Acknowledgments Prologue Roots and Branches 1791–1842 Gold-Seekers, Dreamers, and Ferryboat Men 1855–1863 Copperheads, Bushwhackers, and Jayhawkers 1863–1866 A Bowl of Corn, a Piece of Ground 1866–1868 A Boy Adrift 1868–1873 The French Apple Peddler 1873–1879 The Indian Rider 1880–1888 Hello, Dolly! 1888–1892 An Indian in the House 1892–1905 A Marble Battleground 1906–1915 Weddings, War, and Want 1915–1928 Second Place 1928 A Good Loser 1932–1936 Legacy Appendix Notes Bibliography Index