Charles Eli Mix (February 4, 1810 – January 15, 1878) was an American civil servant. He served as chief clerk of the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

from 1850 to 1869. For a brief period in 1858, Mix was

commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal government of the United States, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

. During his time as commissioner, he oversaw the signing of a treaty with the

Yankton Sioux Tribe The Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is a federally recognized tribe of Yankton Western Dakota people, located in South Dakota. Their Dakota name is Ihaƞktoƞwaƞ Dakota Oyate, meaning "People of the End Village" which comes from the pe ...

of the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

(present-day

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

). The Treaty of Washington was signed on April 19, 1858 and ratified by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 16, 1859.

Charles Mix County, South Dakota Charles Mix County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 9,373. Its county seat is Lake Andes. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1879. It was named for Charles Eli ...

, organized in 1862, is named after him.

Early life

Charles Eli Mix was born on February 4, 1810, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

. He was educated at the Lancaster School in New Haven. At the age of sixteen, Mix moved to

Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Georgetown is a historic neighborhood, and commercial and entertainment district located in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, the port of Georgetown predated the establish ...

Career

After moving to Georgetown, Mix entered the mercantile business. His business failed during the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

. In 1838, Mix was appointed by President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (Uni ...

as a clerk in the

. He was later appointed as chief clerk, under Secretary of the Interior

Thomas Ewing Thomas Ewing Sr. (December 28, 1789October 26, 1871) was a National Republican and Whig politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate as well as serving as the secretary of the treasury and the first secretary of the interior. He is also ...

, in November 1850. While chief clerk, Mix drafted the

Yankton Treaty The Yankton Treaty was a treaty signed in 1858 between the United States government and the Yankton Sioux (Nakota) Native American tribe, ceding most of eastern South Dakota (11 million acres) to the United States government. The treaty was signe ...

of April 19, 1858, with the

. He was also known for drafting the 1850 Office Copy of the Laws, Regulations, Etc., an important set of regulations for implementing and governing Indian affairs. He served as acting commissioner in August 1853 and June 1856 while

George Washington Manypenny George Washington Manypenny (1808 – July 15, 1892) was the Commissioner of Indian Affairs of the United States from 1853 to 1857. Early life George Washington Manypenny was born in 1808 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He moved to Ohio around 1830 ...

was traveling in Nebraska and on temporary absence, respectively. He again served as acting commissioner in April 1857 after the resignation of Manypenny. He was appointed as

, after the resignation of

James W. Denver James William "Jim" Denver (October 23, 1817 – August 9, 1892) was an American politician, soldier and lawyer. He served in the California state government, as an officer in the United States Army in two wars, and as a Democratic member of th ...

, serving from June 14, 1858 to November 8, 1858. Mix resigned, preferring to work behind the scenes. Mix retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1869.

Personal life

Mix married Catharine Upperman, of Georgetown, in 1829. They had five sons and four daughters. Mix owned a farm, near Ball's Crossroads in

Alexandria County, Virginia Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

. Mix died on January 15, 1878, at his home at 164 High Street in Georgetown. He is interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., along with his wife and children.

Legacy

, organized in May 1862, was named after Mix.

References

1810 births 1878 deaths People from New Haven, Connecticut United States Bureau of Indian Affairs personnel Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Charles Mix County, South Dakota {{SouthDakota-stub