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Cyrus H. Harris (August 22, 1817 – January 6, 1888), a mixed-blood Chickasaw born in Mississippi, was elected the first Governor of the
Chickasaw Nation The Chickasaw Nation (Chickasaw language, Chickasaw: Chikashsha I̠yaakni) is a federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe, with its headquarters located in Ada, Oklahoma in th ...
, and served five non-consecutive two-year terms. Although his formal schooling was limited at an elementary level, he became fluent in both the English and Chickasaw languages. He and his family relocated to Indian Territory in 1837, where he was employed in business and also served as an interpreter and developed a keen interest in Chickasaw politics. In 1856, he was elected to his first term as governor of the newly established Chickasaw Nation His accomplishments included organizing a national government after the Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation formally separated into two distinct entities. He also executed a formal alliance between his nation and the Confederate States of America after the outbreak of the American Civil War. After the cessation of hostilities, he played a major role in the recovery of the nation from its devastated condition. He retired from politics in 1874, after serving his fifth term as governor. He died in 1887 at his home in Mill Valley, and was buried at the cemetery in Mill Valley.


Early life

Cyrus Harris was born August 22, 1817, to Elizabeth Oxbury and a man named Harris or Harrison. near Pontotoc, Mississippi, on the estate of his grandmother, Molly Colbert Gunn. He began his formal education at Monroe Mission School in 1827. Later, he went to an Indian School in
Giles County, Tennessee Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,346. Its county seat is Pulaski. History Giles County is named after William Branch Giles, a Senator from Virginia who sponsored the ...
. His formal schooling was only elementary, and he never returned to school after leaving Tennessee.Cushman, Horatio Bardwell. "Historical Sketch of Cyrus Harris, ex-Governor of the Chickasaw Nation." In: ''History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians''. Available on Google Books. p. 513. Headlight Printing House. Greenville, Texas.1899.
Accessed May 19, 2017.
Cyrus' grandfather, General William Colbert, was a notable Chickasaw warrior and leader.
Accessed May 16, 2017.
In 1830, Cyrus returned to live with his grandmother, mother and uncle, Martin Colbert.


Relocation to Indian Territory

Early in the 19th Century, the Federal Government began its attempts to force Native Americans out of their homelands in the Southeastern United States to a sparsely settled area that they had reserved for them across the Mississippi River. It was officially known as Indian Territory. In 1818, the Chickasaws became the first of the
Five Civilized Tribes The term Five Civilized Tribes was applied by European Americans in the colonial and early federal period in the history of the United States to the five major Native American nations in the Southeast—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek ...
to sell their lands in Kentucky and Tennessee to the government. Each received a twenty-year annuity of $1,000 for their share of the tribal land. By 1830, the Federal Government was putting heavy pressure on the Chickasaws to move from their homes in other Southeastern states to Indian Territory. Their close relatives, the Choctaws, had already signed the 1830
Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was a treaty which was signed on September 27, 1830, and proclaimed on February 24, 1831, between the Choctaw American Indian tribe and the United States Government. This treaty was the first removal treaty wh ...
to move from Mississippi. Fluent in both English and Chickasaw, Cyrus Harris became useful as an interpreter in the many meetings with government officials to discuss details of the removal. Cyrus, himself, moved in November, 1837, and settled along the Blue River in what is now
Johnston County, Oklahoma Johnston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,957. Its county seat is Tishomingo. It was established at statehood on November 16, 1907, and named for Douglas H. Johnston, a go ...
, where he opened a mercantile business."Cyrus Harris (1827-1888)." ''Chickasaw Nation Hall of Fame''. 2012.
Accessed May 16, 2017.


Chickasaw Nation political life

Cyrus Harris' diplomatic experience before and during removal sparked his interest in Chickasaw political affairs. He was selected to accompany Edward Pickens in 1850 and 1854 on missions to meet with Federal officials about tribal business. When he returned from the 1850 mission to Washington, he sold his Blue River home, and moved to
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, where he lived for about a year. He then moved to Pennington Creek, about west of
Tishomingo, Oklahoma Tishomingo is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Johnston County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,034 at the 2010 census, a decline of 4.1 percent from the figure of 3,162 in 2000. It was the first capital of the Chick ...
.Meserve, John Bartlett. "Governor Cyrus Harris." ''Chronicles of Oklahoma''. Vol. 15, No. 4. December, 1937.
Accessed May 17, 2017.
In 1855, after returning from his 1854 journey to Washington, Harris moved to
Mill Creek, Oklahoma Mill Creek is a town in Johnston County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 319 at the 2010 census, a decline from the figure of 340 in 2000.
, which remained his home for the rest of his life. The Chickasaw Nation adopted a new constitution in August, 1856. According to Meserve, there were several candidates in the 1856 election for governor, but none received a majority of the popular vote. Thus, the choice was left to the Legislature, which selected Cyrus Harris by a majority of one vote. Harris spent the majority of his two-year term organizing the new government. He ran for a second term in 1858, but was defeated by Dougherty Colbert. Cyrus Harris was elected Governor again in 1860. During this term, the American Civil War broke out. The Chickasaws were the first of the Five Civilized Tribes to openly favor the Confederacy. Governor Harris signed the resolutions supporting secessions from the Union on May 25, 1861. Harris lost the 1862 election to Dougherty Colbert, and did not run for office in 1864. He ran again in 1866 and was elected Governor for the third time, and was reelected in 1868. Apparently he did not run again in 1870, but made his final campaign in 1872, in which he won his final term as governor. Although he ran again in 1874, he lost to B. F. Overton. He was a candidate in the 1878 election for a sixth term, but lost to Benjamin C. Burney by five votes. He then retired from politics and spent the remainder of his life at his Mill Creek home.Delashaw, Corie. "Harris, Cyrus. (1817 - 1888)." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed May 18, 2017/
He only emerged from political retirement in 1886 to vigorously support his nephew, William Guy, who was the Progressive Party candidate for governor. Guy's opponent, the "Conservative Party candidate, William L. Byrd, lost this election. However, their political fortunes reversed, and Byrd defeated Guy in the 1890 election.


Harris family

Sources state that Cyrus Harris married three times. His first wife was Kizzie Kemp. His second wife was Nancy Thomas who was born in 1830 in Chickasaw, Mississippi. She married Cyrus Harris in 1848. They had eight children in 14 years. She died as a young mother on January 22, 1864, in Mill Creek, Oklahoma, at the age of 34. His third was Hettie Frazier."Cyrus Harris." In: ''Encyclopedia of Georgia Indians''. Somerset Publishers, Inc. St. Clair Shores, Michigan. 1999. Available on Google Books. p. 149.
Accessed May 18, 2017.
In 1960, flooding along Mill Creek threatened to wash away the old Mill Creek Cemetery. Relatives of Governor Harris decided to have his remains moved to the Drake-Nebo Cemetery. His wife and one daughter, Emily, had been buried there during the 1990s. Their other daughter, Lucy Harris Lael, had been reburied in Oaklawn Cemetery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. "Cyrus Harris - Drake-Nebo Cemetery - Drake, OK". Waymarking.com February 17, 2017.
Accessed May 16, 2017


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Cyrus 1817 births 1888 deaths 19th-century Native Americans Governors of the Chickasaw Nation People from Pontotoc, Mississippi Pre-statehood history of Oklahoma