List of People From Montana - Politicians - Political Leaders and Activists

Political Leaders and Activists

Political leaders and activists from Montana
Name Lifetime Montana connection Comments Refs
Cobell, Elouise P.Elouise P. Cobell 1946–present Born and lives on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation Accountant; banker; rancher; lead plaintiff in Cobell v. Salazar, a successful $3.4 billion class action settlement on behalf of Native Americans against the federal government
Coups, PlentyPlenty Coups 1848–1932 Born in Montana, possibly near Billings; lived in south-central Montana most of his life; spent later years near Pryor Chief of the Mountain Crows, or Apsáalooke, band of the Crow Nation
Haskell, Ella J. KnowlesElla J. Knowles Haskell 1860–1911 Moved to Montana from New Hampshire after finishing college; lived and worked in Helena, Butte, and then Glendive Pioneer of women's rights in Montana; teacher; first woman to practice law in Montana and the first woman ever to plead a case before the U.S. Circuit Court; first woman to run for state Attorney General
Horse-Capture, GeorgeGeorge Horse-Capture 1937–present Graduated from high school in Butte; taught college in Great Falls Anthropologist; writer; political activist; participated in the Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island
Joseph, ChiefChief Joseph 1840–1904 Led his people through much of western Montana during the Nez Perce War, eventually surrendering in the Bear Paw Mountains, close to the Canadian border Chief of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce; humanitarian; peacemaker
Juneau, DeniseDenise Juneau 1967–present Lived in Billings, Browning, Bozeman, Missoula, and Helena Teacher; Montana State Superintendent of Public Instruction; head of Montana Office of Public Instruction; first American Indian woman to be elected to statewide executive office in Montana; member of Mandan and Hidatsa tribes
Kemmis, DanielDaniel Kemmis 1946–present Born and raised in eastern Montana; attended law school in Missoula Author; lawyer; speaker and minority leader of the Montana House of Representatives (1983–1985); mayor of Missoula (1990–1996)
Leforge, ThomasThomas Leforge 1850–1931 Moved to Virginia City as a teen Montana militiaman; scout; camp follower; often lived with the Crow Nation; author of historical account Memoirs of a White Crow Indian
Mansfield, MikeMike Mansfield 1903–2001 Moved to Great Falls as at a very young age; attended college in Butte and Missoula Served in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps; miner; professor; Senator (1953–1977); longest serving Senate Majority Leader (1961–1977); ambassador to Japan (1977–1988)
Old Person, EarlEarl Old Person 1929–present Born and lives on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation Chief of the Blackfoot Confederacy
Racicot, MarcMarc Racicot 1948–present Born in Thompson Falls; raised in Miles City and Libby Governor of Montana (1993–2001); chairman of the Republican National Committee (2002–2003); lawyer
Rankin, JeannetteJeannette Rankin 1880–1973 Born near and attended college in Missoula First female member of the United States Congress (1917–1919, 1941–1943); only member of Congress to vote against United States entry into World War II; sister of Wellington D. Rankin
Rankin, Wellington D.Wellington D. Rankin 1884–1966 Born near and attended college in Missoula Attorney; Montana Attorney General (1920–26); landowner; brother of Jeannette Rankin
Roth, Jr., William V.William V. Roth, Jr. 1921–2003 Born in Great Falls; raised in Helena US Senator from Delaware (1971–2001); namesake of Roth IRA
Thorkelson, JacobJacob Thorkelson 1876–1945 Moved to Montana as an adult in 1913; lived in Dillon Navigator, medical doctor, reserve naval officer, United States Representative from Montana (1939–1941)
Venne, CarlCarl Venne 1946–2009 Born in Helena; raised and lived on the Crow Indian Reservation Chairman of the Crow Nation (2002–2009)
Wheeler, Burton K.Burton K. Wheeler 1876–1945 Settled in Butte after losing his belongings in a poker game during a train stop in Butte while on the way to Seattle, Washington Lawyer and United States Senator from Montana (1923–1947)
Yellowtail, BillBill Yellowtail 1948–present Born in Wyola; lived in Helena and Bozeman Administrator; member of Montana Senate (1985–1993); member of the Crow Nation
Yellowtail, RobertRobert Yellowtail 1889?–1988 Born and raised in Lodge Grass Lawyer; Indian leader; member of the Crow Nation

Read more about this topic:  List Of People From Montana, Politicians

Famous quotes containing the words political and/or leaders:

    The horror of Gandhi’s murder lies not in the political motives behind it or in its consequences for Indian policy or for the future of non-violence; the horror lies simply in the fact that any man could look into the face of this extraordinary person and deliberately pull a trigger.
    Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)

    No matter how vast, how total, the failure of man here on earth, the work of man will be resumed elsewhere. War leaders talk of resuming operations on this front and that, but man’s front embraces the whole universe.
    Henry Miller (1891–1980)