Pleasant Porter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pleasant Porter
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| Born | September 26, 1840 Indian Territory (now Wagoner County, Oklahoma)
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| Died | September 3, 1907 (aged 66) Vinita, Indian Territory (now Vinita, Oklahoma)
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| Other names | Talof Harjo ("Crazy Bear") |
| Occupation | Businessman, statesman |
| Known for | Principal chief of Creek Nation, President of Sequoyah Constitutional Convention |
Pleasant Porter (born September 26, 1840 – died September 3, 1907) was an important leader of the Creek Nation. He was the last elected Principal Chief of the Creek Nation, serving from 1899 until his death. A Principal Chief is like a president or governor for a Native American tribe.
Porter also served in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. Later, he became the Superintendent of Schools for the Creek Nation in 1870. He also led the Creek Light Horsemen, who were like police, in 1883. He was chosen many times to represent the Creek Nation in the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. In 1905, he led the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention. This was an effort by Native American tribes to create their own state called Sequoyah. However, Congress did not agree, and their land became part of the new state of Oklahoma in 1907.
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Early Life and Education
Pleasant Porter was born on September 26, 1840. His parents were Benjamin Edward Porter and Phoebe Perryman, who was Creek. His mother's family had some European ancestors. In the Creek culture, children belonged to their mother's family and clan. So, Pleasant Porter was part of his mother's Bird Clan.
He was born in the Creek Nation, in what is now Wagoner County, Oklahoma. His Creek name was Talof Harjo, which means "Crazy Bear." His grandfather, John Snodgrass Porter, had a ranch there. When John Porter was dying in 1847, he put his hand on young Pleasant's head. He told the family that Pleasant would achieve great things.
Pleasant Porter went to the Tullahassee Mission School for five years. He learned both the Muscogee language and English. This helped him work with both the Creek people and the American government later in life. He loved to learn and continued studying on his own. Before the Civil War, he worked in a store and drove cattle in New Mexico.
Serving in the Civil War
During the American Civil War, Pleasant Porter joined the First Confederate Creek Regiment. Many Creek people sided with the Confederacy. They hoped the Confederacy would help them create an all-Indian state. Porter started as a Private.
He fought in several battles, including Round Mountain and Honey Springs. He was wounded three times, once in his leg, which made him limp for the rest of his life. He was also wounded twice in the head. His highest rank was Quartermaster Sergeant.
Leading the Creek Nation
After the Civil War ended in 1865, Porter helped the Creek Nation make peace with the U.S. government. The U.S. government wanted a new peace treaty. This treaty included freeing enslaved African Americans who were owned by Creek people. The Creek government was reorganized in 1866.
Creek leaders asked Porter to help restart the schools. Many missionaries who ran schools had left during the war. In 1871, Porter was asked to be Superintendent of Schools again, but he chose not to.
Keeping the Peace
Pleasant Porter played a big role in solving problems within the Creek Nation. In 1871, there was a disagreement between different Creek groups. One group was led by Oktars-sars-har-jo, also known as "Sands." When the Creek Council met, nearly 300 of Sands' followers showed up. Porter, leading Creek horsemen and working with U.S. agents, helped calm the situation. He convinced Sands' followers to go home without anyone getting hurt.
In 1872, the Creek Nation chose Porter to represent them in Washington, D.C. He worked hard to protect the nation's interests. He became well-known and respected by members of Congress and even President Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1882, another conflict happened, sometimes called the "Green Peach War." A leader named Judge Isparhecher formed a separate government with about 350 followers. Porter was called back from Washington to help. He led about 700 men and stopped the conflict. There were only a few injuries. After this, some Creek people started calling Porter "General" to honor him.
Protecting Creek Lands
The U.S. government passed the Dawes Act. This law forced Native American tribes to divide their shared lands into individual plots. The goal was to make them farm and own land like European Americans. Porter led a Creek group to talk with U.S. officials about this. They reached an agreement in 1897, which became part of the Curtis Act in 1898. Even though many Creek people did not like the idea of dividing their land, the government started registering tribal members for this process.
Porter also led a group to Washington in 1889. They negotiated to turn over some Creek land to the U.S. government. This land was originally meant for other Native Americans and freed slaves, not for white settlers. Porter and his group agreed to remove these restrictions for $2.25 million.
Principal Chief of the Creek Nation
Pleasant Porter was elected Principal Chief on September 5, 1899. He worked hard to get better rights for individual Creek members than other tribes had. However, many Creek people still opposed dividing their shared land. In 1900, a leader named Chitto Harjo ("Crazy Snake") declared a separate government. Porter asked the U.S. government for help to stop this revolt. The leaders were arrested, lectured by a judge, and sent home.
Porter was reelected as Principal Chief in 1903. By this time, the powers of the Chief were much smaller due to the Curtis Act. His job mostly involved signing land deeds. Porter and other leaders became interested in creating a state out of Indian Territory. They wanted Native Americans to govern it. They proposed calling it the State of Sequoyah, named after the Cherokee who created an alphabet.
Sequoyah Constitutional Convention
The Sequoyah Convention met in Muskogee on August 21, 1905. The main goals were to write a constitution for the new state, choose a name, and pick a capital city. Pleasant Porter was chosen to lead the convention. Other important leaders included Charles N. Haskell and Alexander Posey. The delegates met several times and approved the proposed constitution. Porter and Posey were authorized to sign the document for all the delegates.
Family Life
After the Civil War, Porter rebuilt his family's ranch. He also became a businessman, opening a general store. He later moved to Wealaka, built a home, and lived there for the rest of his life.
Pleasant Porter married Mary Ellen Keys in St. Louis, Missouri on November 25, 1872. She was born in the Cherokee Nation. They had three children: William Adair, Pleasant, and Annetta Mary. Mary Ellen passed away in 1886.
Later, Porter married Mattie Leonora Bertholf, who was a cousin of his first wife, on May 26, 1886. They had one daughter, Leonora.
Death
On September 2, 1907, Pleasant Porter was traveling by train for legal business. He stopped in Vinita, I. T. to change trains. He felt unwell and had a stroke that night. He fell into a coma and died on the morning of September 3, 1907. He is buried in the Pleasant Porter Cemetery in Bixby, Oklahoma.
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