Benjamin Franklin Smallwood (1829 – December 15, 1891) was Principal Chief of the Choctaw Republic from 1888 to 1890. From 1847 to 1890, Smallwood held public office in Choctaw Nation, except for the time he served as an officer in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Early life

He was born in 1829 in Choctaw Nation to William and Mary (LeFore) Smallwood in Choctaw Nation in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

.Littlefield, Daniel F., and James W. Parins. ''A Biobibliography of Native American Writers, 1772–1924: A Supplement'', Scarecrow Press, 1895. p. 286-287. When he was a young child, his family moved to

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

on the

Choctaw Trail of Tears The Choctaw Trail of Tears was the attempted ethnic cleansing and relocation by the United States government of the Choctaw Nation from their country, referred to now as the Deep South (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana), to lands we ...

.Meserve, John Bartlett
"Chief Benjamin Franklin Smallwood and Chief Jefferson Gardner,"
''Chronicles of Oklahoma'', Volume 19, No. 3, September, 1941. As a child, Smallwood attended Spencer Academy in Choctaw Nation.

Political career

Smallwood began his political career in 1847, when he served as a ranger in Kiamichi County. Also beginning in 1847, he held the office of representative to the Choctaw Council. In his subsequent career, he served as speaker of the lower house and delegate to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

As delegate to Washington, he was responsible for negotiating agreements between the Choctaw and the United States government. He ran for Principal Chief in 1886 as candidate for the National Party but was defeated by Progressive Party candidate Thompson McKinney. In 1888, he was again the National Party's candidate for Principal Chief, this time running against Progressive candidate Wilson Nathaniel Jones. Because of his long career in the house of representatives, he was popular enough to win the election even though the Progressive Party won the majority of seats in both houses of the Choctaw Council. Because the chief and the council represented different parties, Smallwood was able to accomplish little politically during his years in office. Politically, Smallwood was very concerned about maintaining the independence of Choctaw Nation and resisting interference from the U.S. Government. He was troubled by the establishment of a federal court in Indian Territory and a law authorizing appeals to the United States authority on matters of Choctaw citizenship after a Choctaw court decision had already been made. He also refused to allow the incorporation of towns established by whites who had moved into Choctaw nation. These towns, which included Krebs and Lehigh lacked official status and public services, including water and sewer systems and fire and police protections. Important political meetings of Choctaw legislators, religious leaders, and members of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

were held at Smallwood's home on his ranch near Lehigh, the Benjamin Franklin Smallwood House. This was because Smallwood would not meet with representatives of the U.S. government unless they came to his house. In 1888, the U.S. Government made a payment to Choctaw Nation, and Smallwood called a special session of the council, which authorized that the funds were to be dispersed without an audit by the Net Proceeds Commission. The payment was for the Leased District, which was originally owned by the Choctaw but had been granted to the United States by treaty in 1855.May, Jon D
"Leased District,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, Accessed July 4, 2015. Smallwood himself pocketed $5,500 of the funds. According to Meserve in the ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'', this "constitutes one of the dark pages in Choctaw history." He ran for reelection in 1890 but was defeated by Wilson Nathaniel Jones.May, Jon D
"Jones, Wilson Nathaniel,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, Accessed July 4, 2015. During his time in office, Smallwood had advocated for the expansion of Choctaw schools, but due to the divisive political situation, he made little progress. Jones and the new council nonetheless followed his recommendations and added more schools, though Smallwood received no credit.

Civil War Service

During the United States Civil War, Smallwood was Captain of the 2nd Choctaw Regiment in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

Business and ranching

Smallwood first opened a store in Kiamichi County in 1862. The next year, he moved to Lehigh. Smallwood owned a farm near Lehigh, raised cattle, and ran a dry goods store in town.Dary, David. ''Stories of Old Time Oklahoma'', University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, Oklahoma, 2015. p. 109. The

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

house on his ranch, constructed in 1875, is known as the Benjamin Franklin Smallwood House. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982.State Historic Preservation Office: Oklahoma Historical Societ
''Oklahoma's National Register Handbook''
April 1, 2015. Accessed July 2, 2015.

Retirement

After being defeated for reelection, Smallwood retired to his home near Lehigh, where he died on December 15, 1891.

Personal life

In 1849, Smallwood married Annie Burney, a Chickasaw from the house of Ima-te-po of the family of Okla-pa-nubbii. Annie died during the Civil War. Smallwood later married Abbie James.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smallwood, Benjamin Franklin 1829 births 1891 deaths Chiefs of the Choctaw Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma politicians Native Americans in the American Civil War Native American Christians Native American leaders People from Mississippi Native American tribal government officials in Indian Territory Choctaw Confederates