Ben Johnson (chairman) facts for kids

Bender "Ben" Johnson Jr. (born May 22, 1939 – died March 31, 2014) was an important leader for the Makah people in America. He was a politician and an expert in fishing.

He was the chairman (leader) and a member of the Makah Tribal Council for many years, from 1998 to 2000 and again from 2001 to 2007. Ben Johnson was the chairman when the Makah successfully hunted a Pacific gray whale in 1999. This hunt was a big deal because it was the first time the Makah had hunted a whale since the 1920s. The whale was a large female, weighing 30 tons and measuring about 30 and a half feet long. Johnson strongly supported this hunt, which brought a lot of attention and discussion from people all over the world.

Early Life and Learning

Ben Johnson was born on May 22, 1939, in Neah Bay, Washington. His parents were Bender Johnson Sr. and Harriet Eliot Stewart. He started fishing with his father and grandfather when he was only five years old. This early experience led him to spend his whole career working with the fishing industry.

Ben lived in Neah Bay his entire life, except for two years. During those two years, he studied at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Washington, which is a nearby town. He earned an associate degree and a special degree as a fisheries technician. He also received several professional certificates from the college.

His Career and Work

After finishing his studies at Peninsula College, Ben Johnson worked as a biologist for a government group called the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. This group later became part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He worked on a research ship called the George B. Kelez in the Bering Sea.

Soon after, Johnson returned to Neah Bay, where he lived for the rest of his life. He spent most of his career helping the Makah people and their reservation. He worked in the tribal government and in the fishing industry. He held many important jobs, such as personnel officer, general manager, and director of fisheries. He also helped with the Makah Housing Authority and led the Makah Tribe Youth Program.

Serving on the Tribal Council

Ben Johnson first served on the Makah Tribal Council from 1998 to 2000. He decided not to run for re-election then because of all the discussion and disagreement around the 1999 whale hunt, which happened while he was chairman. However, he was elected again in 2001 and served as a council member and chairman until 2007.

The Makah Whale Hunt

The Makah people have a special right to practice whaling. This right was kept in the Treaty of Neah Bay in 1855. The Makah are the only tribe in the continental United States with this specific right. The Makah stopped whaling in the 1920s because there were not many gray whales left. But in 1994, the Pacific gray whale was removed from the list of endangered species. This meant there were enough whales again, so the Makah decided to start hunting them once more in the 1990s.

Whale meat had been a very important food for the Makah people for hundreds of years. Ben Johnson strongly supported the 1999 hunt. He was worried that younger Makah members might lose touch with the important cultural meaning of whaling if the hunts did not start again.

In a 2009 interview, Ben Johnson talked about how important the 1999 hunt was for the Makah. He said, "I should feel happy about that day, but I'm not because we have people that are still against us...It gets old. We don't want to stir the pot again. People don't like to hear the truth. We have to think about things like that. We [the Makah] are whalers."

His Passing

Ben Johnson passed away on March 31, 2014, at the age of 74. He died at Olympic Medical Center after having a heart attack. He is remembered by his wife, Jeanne Johnson, his five children, thirty grandchildren, and fifty-one great-grandchildren.