Lewis Downing facts for kids
Lewis Downing (born in 1823) was a very important leader of the Cherokee Nation. He was also known by his Cherokee name, ᎷᏫ ᏌᏩᎾᏍᎩ. From 1867 to 1872, he served as the Principal Chief.
After the death of Chief John Ross, Lewis Downing was chosen as a leader who could bring different groups together. He worked hard to heal the divisions within the Cherokee people. These divisions had started after they were forced to move from their homes in the East, an event known as the Trail of Tears. The divisions grew even bigger during the American Civil War.
Lewis Downing was re-elected as Chief in 1871. Sadly, he passed away in 1872 after becoming sick with pneumonia. The Cherokee Council then chose William P. Ross to take his place.
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Early Life and Education
Lewis Downing was born in 1823 in eastern Tennessee. His parents, Samuel Downing and Susan Daugherty, were both Cherokee. Like many Cherokee leaders at that time, they also had some European family history.
When he was young, Lewis went to school at the Valley Town Mission in North Carolina. Later, Lewis and his family were forced to move west. This difficult journey, where many Cherokee people and their slaves were removed from their lands, is now called the Trail of Tears. His family traveled with a group led by Reverend Jesse Bushyhead.
In 1839, the Downing family arrived in what is now Adair County, Oklahoma. They settled near where Reverend Evan Jones had restarted the Baptist Mission. Lewis Downing continued his education at this Baptist Mission.
Becoming a Leader
Lewis Downing became a Baptist minister thanks to the work of Reverend Jones. He started his religious work very young, around 19 years old. In 1844, he became the pastor of the Flint Baptist Church. He took over from Reverend Jesse Bushyhead, who had recently passed away.
Lewis Downing was also very active in Cherokee Nation politics. In 1845, he was elected as a senator from the Goingsnake District. He later moved to a farm in what is now Mayes County, Oklahoma. There, he was elected to the senate again in 1851 and 1859. In 1851, he also traveled to Washington, D.C., as a representative for the Cherokee tribe.
The Civil War and the Cherokee
The American Civil War made the old divisions within the Cherokee tribe even worse. Chief John Ross decided to form an alliance with the Confederacy. The Cherokee then created the Indian cavalry.
Lewis Downing became a chaplain for two companies of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles. This group was formed by Chief Ross for the Confederate Army in 1861. They fought in the Confederate service at Pea Ridge, Arkansas, in 1862.
However, when Union forces moved into the area in 1862, many Cherokee soldiers began to change their minds about supporting the South. Most of them left the Confederate service. In July 1862, many joined the 3rd Regiment of the Indian Home Guards to fight for the Union Army. Lewis Downing was named a Lieutenant Colonel in this Union group.
At this time, the Cherokee Nation had two different governments. One supported the Confederacy, and the other supported the Union. The pro-Union group still recognized John Ross as their chief. In 1863, they officially ended their support for the Confederacy. They also passed laws to abolish slavery, following President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Lewis Downing helped lead the Union Cherokee while Chief John Ross was away in Washington, D.C. These two separate governments continued until the war ended. The pro-Confederate Cherokee were led by Stand Watie.
After the War
In 1863, Lewis Downing, as the head of the pro-Union tribal council, went to Washington, D.C. He wanted to tell the U.S. government about the divided situation of the Cherokee people.
After the war, a peace meeting was held in 1865 at Fort Smith. At this meeting, Downing argued that the U.S. officials should recognize John Ross as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee. Stand Watie, who led the pro-Confederate Cherokee, wanted the U.S. to recognize two separate Cherokee nations. However, the U.S. government only dealt with Chief Ross and the pro-Union group.
Chief Ross returned to Tahlequah for a short time in 1865. He went back to Washington the next year to protest a part of a treaty signed in 1866. This part required the Cherokee to free their slaves and give them full citizenship in the Cherokee Nation. It also meant the freed people would have equal rights to land and money as full-blood Cherokee.
Becoming Principal Chief
John Ross passed away in Washington on August 1, 1866. As the Assistant Principal Chief, Lewis Downing took over until a new election could be held. The National Council then chose William P. Ross to be Principal Chief until the next election.
After the war, there was still a lot of anger among the Cherokee. Many were upset about the conditions the U.S. government put in the peace treaty. The pro-Confederate Cherokee wanted the government to move the freedmen (formerly enslaved people) somewhere else and give them separate land. Some of the pro-Union Cherokee wanted to keep the pro-Confederate Cherokee out of tribal affairs.
Lewis Downing believed in treating everyone equally within the tribe. He created the Downing Party to help reunite the different groups. Reverend John B. Jones, who was very influential among the full-blood Cherokee, supported Downing's plan to bring the Southern Cherokees back together with the Union Cherokee.
In the tribal election on August 5, 1867, Lewis Downing was elected Principal Chief. He had the support of both sides. The Downing Party controlled the political affairs of the Cherokee Nation until Oklahoma became a state in 1908. Lewis Downing signed another treaty in Washington in 1869. He also represented the Cherokee there in 1869 and 1870. He was re-elected as Chief on August 7, 1871.
Family Life
Lewis Downing was married three times. His first wife was Lydia Price. They had three children: Samuel Houston, John Toyuneet, and Catherine. After Lydia passed away, he married Lucinda Griffin. They had two children: Lewis James and William. His third wife was Mary Eyre, a white widow he met in Washington. They had no children together.
Death
Lewis Downing died while still in office in Tahlequah on November 9, 1872. He had been sick with pneumonia for two weeks. He is buried in the old Ned Adair cemetery in what is now Mayes County, Oklahoma. The Cherokee Council had to choose someone to finish his term. They chose his old political opponent, William Potter Ross.
