Derek J. Bailey (1972 – September 8, 2021) served as Tribal Chairman of the

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians ( oj, Gichi-wiikwedong Odaawaag miina ojibweg) is a federally recognized Native American tribe located in northwest Michigan on the Leelanau Peninsula. Sam McClellan is the current tribal ch ...

(GTB) beginning in 2008. He also served prior on Tribal Council from 2004 to 2008. On October 1, 2011, Bailey announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in

Michigan's 1st congressional district Michigan's 1st congressional district is a United States congressional district containing the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan and 16 counties of Northern Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. The district is currently represented by Republican Jac ...

. During April 2012, Bailey ended his Congressional campaign effort and moved into Michigan's State House race for the 101st District (Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee and Mason counties). On May 11, 2015, he was arrested on child molestation charges. Bailey was sentenced to 25 to 50 years after being found guilty in Grand Traverse County of two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct in April 2016. He was also sentenced to ten to 15 years after being found guilty in Leelanau County of two counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct in November 2015. Bailey was to serve his sentence concurrently. Bailey had a credit of 360 days.

Early life and education

Bailey was a native of

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

, and grew up there and in neighboring

Leelanau County Leelanau may refer to a number of articles relating to the region of the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan: Geography Settlements * Leelanau County, Michigan * Leelanau Township, Michigan * Lake Leelanau, Michigan Landforms * Lak ...

.Associated Press, September 30, 2011
/ref> He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

in 1995 and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in social work in 1998, both from

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...

Career

Tribal service

Bailey began serving as the fifth GTB Tribal Chairman in November 2008. Bailey received a Presidential Appointment by

President Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, and was sworn in on November 3, 2010. He resigned from the tribal council in July 2015.

Congressional campaign

On October 1, 2011, Bailey announced his intention to run for

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for Michigan's newly redrawn 1st congressional district. He was to run as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in the primary against

Gary McDowell Gary J. McDowell (born April 21, 1952) is a U.S. politician from the state of Michigan. He was elected to three, two-year terms in the Michigan House of Representatives and served from January 1, 2005, until January 1, 2011. In 2010 and 2012, h ...

, a state representative who lost in the general election in 2010 against first-time candidate

Dan Benishek Daniel Joseph Benishek (April 20, 1952 – October 15, 2021) was an American physician and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Benishek was b ...

. In April 2012 he changed plans and instead decided to run for the state house of Representatives. Bailey was narrowly defeated in the primary by Bernard "Allen" O'Shea.

Personal life

In 2012, he was married and lived in

Benzie County Benzie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,970. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869.

. Also according to an article in 2012, Bailey has two sons and two step-daughters.

Legal issues

In May 2015, Bailey was charged with multiple counts of child molestation in

. In August 2015, he was charged with more sex offenses in Grand Traverse County. Bailey was sentenced to 25 to 50 years after being found guilty in Grand Traverse County of two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct in April 2016. He was also sentenced to ten to 15 years after being found guilty in Leelanau County of two counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct in November 2015. Bailey was to serve his sentence concurrently. Bailey had a credit of 360 days.

Death

On September 2, 2021, Bailey was found unresponsive in his

prison cell A prison cell (also known as a jail cell) is a small room in a prison or police station where a prisoner is held. Cells greatly vary by their furnishings, hygienic services, and cleanliness, both across countries and based on the level of punishm ...

and later pronounced dead on September 8, 2021. He is believed to have succumbed to a cardiac issue. He was 48.

References

External links

Grand Traverse Band biography

Tribal chairman Bailey to run for Congress

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Derek Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians politicians Michigan Democrats Grand Valley State University alumni 1972 births 2021 deaths Michigan politicians convicted of crimes American politicians convicted of sex offences People from Traverse City, Michigan Place of death missing People from Leelanau County, Michigan Prisoners and detainees of Michigan People from Benzie County, Michigan Native American people from Michigan