Charles Thompson (Cherokee Chief)

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Charles Thompson (Oochalata, ᎤᏤᎳᏔ, in Cherokee) lived near the present-day site of Lake Spavinaw, following the Trail of Tears. He served in Drew's Regiment of the Army of the Confederate States of America and then in the Union Army.

In 1867 he was elected to the Senate of the Cherokee Nation, and served as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1875 to 1879. He was the only full-blood Cherokee to have held that office since the Trail of Tears.

He was a Baptist minister, and preached each Sunday in the Cherokee Language.

He died June 22, 1891.

[edit] References

• Chronicles of Oklahoma
• Cherokee Nation Official Site

Preceded by William P. Ross

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation 1875–1879

Succeeded by Dennis Bushyhead