Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: Robert L. Owen, first Native American US Senator from Oklahoma

Actually, Robert Owen was one of first two senators from Oklahoma when it became a state in 1907. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia February 2, 1856, Owen grew up a child of privilege, living in a mansion, and attending private schools in Lynchburg and Baltimore, Maryland.  His father died in 1873, after the Panic of 1873 financially ruined his father's wealth. However, he managed to graduate from Washington and Lee University as valedictorian in 1877. 

Owen's mother, Narcissa Chisholm Owen was part Cherokee and she wrote memoirs about her life being raised among the Cherokee.  Robert Owen moved to what is now Salina, Oklahoma and was accepted as a member of the Cherokee Nation. After being admitted to the bar in 1880, Owen served as the secretary of the board of education of the Cherokee Nation from 1881-1884.

He argued many significant cases dealing with Native American land issues.  He took the case of the Eastern Cherokees against the US government, seeking compensation for them under a treaty of 1835 for land they lost at the time of the Native American removals.  He finally won the case after 6 years and obtained almost $5M for the Eastern Cherokees. 

When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, he was elected as one of the first two US senators to represent the new state.  He served from December 1907 to March 1925.

Owen passed away in July 1947 in Washington DC from complications from prostate surgery and is buried in Lynchburg, Virginia. 

He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1941.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: John Herrington, first Native American astronaut

John Herrington, born September 14, 1958 Wetumka, Oklahoma in the Chickasaw Nation, is the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to fly into space.  He flew aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as mission specialist in November-December 2002.  During the mission, he performed three EVAs with fellow astronaut with fellow astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria for a total of almost 20 hours. 

He was commander of the NEEMO 6 mission of NASA's Aquarius underwater laboratory in July 2004.

On November 21, 2019, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Celebrating Pride Month: Lynn Riggs, openly gay Cherokee playwright

Lynn Riggs, born August 31, 1899 near Claremore, Oklahoma to a mother who was 1/8 Cherokee.  He started attending the University of Oklahoma in 1920 and taught English for a year, but developed tuberculosis and did not graduate.  After recuperating in Santa Fe, New Mexico he traveled to New York and began writing plays.

After receiving a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 1928, he traveled to Europe and began writing his most famous play Green Grow the Lilacs, while in Paris.

The play went onto become the musical and movie Oklahoma!

Being gay, he was often a non-romantic escort in Hollywood for actresses such as Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1943.

He passed away in NYC in June 1954 from stomach cancer.