Chad Smith (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chad Smith
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| Ugista | |
Smith in 2007
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| Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation | |
| In office 1999–2011 |
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| Preceded by | Joe Byrd |
| Succeeded by | Joe Crittenden (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 17, 1950 Pontiac, Michigan, U.S. |
| Spouse | Bobbie Scott |
| Education | University of Georgia (BS) University of Wisconsin, Madison (MPA) University of Tulsa (JD) University of Nevada, Las Vegas (MBA) |
Chadwick "Corntassel" Smith (whose Cherokee name is Ugista, meaning "Corntassel"; born December 17, 1950) is a Cherokee Nation politician and lawyer. He served as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. He was first elected to this important role in 1999.
Smith was re-elected for a second term in 2003. He won a third term in June 2007 with 59% of the votes. However, he lost his bid for a fourth term in 2011 to Bill John Baker. He ran against Baker again in 2015 but was not elected. Before becoming Principal Chief, Smith worked as a lawyer for the tribe and in his own law practice.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Chad Smith was born in Pontiac, Michigan. His father, a Cherokee, had moved there for work. His mother, Pauline Smith, had European ancestors. Chad grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. As a boy, he became an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts.
He heard many stories about his Cherokee ancestors as he grew up. He is the great-grandson of Redbird Smith. Redbird Smith was a Cherokee Nation Senator. He was also a traditionalist who started the Nighthawk Keetoowah Society. This group worked to bring back the Cherokee way of life. Redbird Smith fought against the Dawes Act. This act caused the U.S. government to take millions of acres of land from the Cherokee people. Chad Smith's grandmother, Rachel Quinton, also worked hard for the Cherokee people her whole life.
Smith earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Georgia in 1973. He received a master's degree in public administration from the University of Wisconsin in 1975. In 1980, he earned a Juris Doctor degree (a law degree) from the University of Tulsa. Later, in 2008, he got an MBA in Hospitality Management from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Chad Smith's Career
From 1979 to 1980, Smith advised the Cherokee Nation on Indian Law. He also helped with tribal management. From 1982 to 1986, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Creek County, Oklahoma. He also served twice as an Estate Tax Attorney for the United States Department of Treasury. This was from 1980 to 1982 and again from 1987 to 1989. He was a prosecutor for the Cherokee Nation from 1985 to 1995. This was during the time Wilma Mankiller was Principal Chief.
From 1989 to 1995, and again from 1997 to 1999, he ran his own law office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He helped people with civil rights cases and criminal defense. He also focused on Indian law. Smith also worked as an Assistant Public Defender. In this role, he helped people who could not afford a lawyer in Tulsa County.
Before becoming Principal Chief, Smith taught Indian law. He taught at Northeastern State University and Rogers State University. He also taught for a semester at Dartmouth College.
From 1999 to 2011, Smith was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Nation is the second largest Native American tribe in the United States. It has more than 285,000 citizens.
Political Leadership
Chad Smith finished his third four-year term as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 2011. The Principal Chief is like the president of the tribal government. This leader is in charge of making sure the laws of the Cherokee Nation are followed. They also set tribal policies and manage the tribe's daily activities. Before being elected, Smith worked for two other Cherokee Nation chiefs. He was the Director of Tribal Planning, a Legal Historian, and a Prosecutor. He also advised the tribal tax commission.
Smith was elected Principal Chief on July 24, 1999. He won against the current Principal Chief, Joe Byrd. Smith received 7,204 votes, while Byrd received 5,552 votes. During Smith's first term, Hastings Shade was his deputy chief. Shade was a Cherokee traditionalist, language teacher, artist, and author.
Smith was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. For these terms, Joe Grayson served as his deputy chief. Grayson is a bilingual community organizer and a military veteran.
In 2006, Smith supported changing the Cherokee Nation's constitution. This change would have limited citizenship to only those with "Indian blood." This action removed about 2,800 people from the tribe. These people were known as the Cherokee freedmen. They were descendants of people who had been enslaved by Cherokees. Smith argued that because the Cherokee were a sovereign nation, they could set their own rules for who could be a citizen. However, this went against a treaty made after the Civil War. That treaty said formerly enslaved people had full citizenship rights. This issue was debated in both U.S. federal courts and Cherokee Nation courts.
Smith ran for a fourth term in 2011. His running mate was Chris Soap. He was challenged by Bill John Baker. Baker supported including the descendants of freedmen in the tribe. The election was very close. The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court ordered a second vote. Smith left office on August 14, 2011. S. Joe Crittenden became the acting principal chief.
During his time as principal chief, Smith focused on three main goals. These were making the tribe economically strong, bringing back the Cherokee language and culture, and developing communities in Northeastern Oklahoma. Programs were started to teach Cherokee children and youth the language. Smith also made the term gadugi popular. In Cherokee, gadugi means groups of people who come together to work when needed. It now means working together for the good of all Cherokee people.
The Cherokee Nation has seen steady economic growth. During Smith's time, agriculture, business, and real estate grew. Some of this growth came from money earned from casino operations. The Cherokee Nation owns Cherokee Nation Entertainment. This company runs casinos and hotels and employs thousands of people. They also own Cherokee Nation Industries, which is a defense contractor.
Since 1992, the Cherokee Nation has led the Inter-Tribal Environmental Council (ITEC). ITEC's goal is to protect the health of Native Americans. They also protect their natural resources and environment, including air, land, and water. ITEC provides support and training in many environmental areas. There are 39 ITEC member tribes in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas.
In February 2021, the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation rejected the citizenship rule Smith had supported. The court said the "by blood" rule was "illegal, obsolete, and repugnant to the ideal of liberty." They said these words "insult and degrade the descendants of the Freedman." A U.S. district court had also rejected this rule in 2017.
Family Life
Smith is married to Bobbie Gail Smith. She is a full-blooded Cherokee from the Rocky Mountain community in Adair County, Oklahoma.
Books by Chad Smith
- Smith, Chadwick Corntassel and Rennard Strickland with Benny Smith. ᎥᎪᏢᏍᎬ ᏌᏊ ᎠᏥᎸ: Building One Fire, Art and World View in Cherokee Life. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-61658-960-8.
- McClinton, Rowena and Chad Smith. The Moravian Springplace Mission to the Cherokees. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-8032-3266-2.
- Robert J. Conley, author, David Fitzgerald, photography, and Chadwick Smith, introduction. Cherokee. Portland, OR: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co., 2002. ISBN: 9781558686038.
- Smith, Chadwick Corntassel. Leadership Lessons from the Cherokee Nation: Learn From All I Observe. McGraw-Hill, 2013. ISBN: 978-0-0718-0883-5 .
Images for kids
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Smith in 2007
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Chad Smith, 2007
