James McLaughlin (February 12, 1842 – July 28, 1923) was a Canadian-American United States
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government.
Background
The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...
and inspector, best known for having ordered the arrest of
Sitting Bull in December 1890, which resulted in the chief's death and contributed to the
Wounded Knee Massacre. Before this event, he was known for his positive relations with several tribes. His memoir, published in 1910, was entitled, ''My Friend the Indian.''
McLaughlin emigrated to the United States at the age of 21, living briefly in
St. Paul, Minnesota, where he married a
Mdewakanton
The Mdewakanton or Mdewakantonwan (also spelled ''Mdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'' and currently pronounced ''Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota ( Sioux). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake (Dakota: ''Mde W ...
woman of mixed-blood descent. He soon became a citizen. While working as a blacksmith at
Fort Totten, he studied to become a U.S. Indian agent, and was selected to supervise the
Devils Lake Agency in 1876. He was promoted and transferred in 1881 to the larger
Standing Rock Sioux Agency in the Dakotas, working there for many years, in an era of short-term political appointments. In 1895 he was promoted to a position as Inspector of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs and
Department of Interior, working until his death in 1923 in Washington, D.C.
Early life and education
James McLaughlin was the sixth of nine children born to Felix (
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
) and Mary (Prince,
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
) McLaughlin, emigrants from the Province of
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
, in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. James was baptized and raised Catholic in
Avonmore,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada. He likely attended local schools and also learned the trade of blacksmith.
Emigration, marriage, and career in United States
At the age of 21, in 1863 he emigrated to
St. Paul, Minnesota. The following year he married Marie Louise Buisson, a
Mdewakanton
The Mdewakanton or Mdewakantonwan (also spelled ''Mdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'' and currently pronounced ''Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota ( Sioux). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake (Dakota: ''Mde W ...
woman of mixed-blood (
Québécois and Scottish) descent. They had seven children together.
McLaughlin obtained his
United States citizen
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
ship in 1865. In 1871 he was hired by the commanding officer of
Fort Totten, North Dakota
Fort Totten is a census-designated place (CDP) in Benson County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,243 at the 2010 census. Fort Totten is located within the Spirit Lake Reservation and is the site of tribal headquarters. The reser ...
, as a blacksmith and general overseer at the
Devils Lake Indian Agency; the U.S. Army outpost was in what was then called the Dakota Territory. While there, he studied to become a United States Indian agent; at the time Indian affairs were supervised as part of the Department of the Army. Army officers noted that he established good relations with the Lakota.
In 1876 he was appointed as agent of the
Devils Lake Agency in present-day North Dakota, the reservation for a
Sisseton Wahpeton tribe of the Dakota people.
In 1881, following the movement of Lakota Sioux tribes to
Standing Rock Sioux Agency, McLaughlin was assigned to that much larger facility, which held several tribes. These Sioux agencies were all part of what was known as the
Great Sioux Reservation
The Great Sioux Reservation initially set aside land west of the Missouri River in South Dakota and Nebraska for the use of the Lakota Sioux, who had dominated this territory. The reservation was established in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 ...
, before it was divided into smaller reservations.
McLaughlin believed his mission was to make Native Americans self-sufficient by encouraging them to assimilate, to become educated according to
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
standards and to adopt
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
/Anglo-American culture, including subsistence farming. Local climate and geographic conditions made such style of agriculture difficult in the Dakotas, as allotments proved to be too small.
In 1888, he and other agents accompanied a large delegation of chiefs from the six Sioux reservations to Washington, D.C., to meet with
Bureau of Indian Affairs officials to discuss the
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the Pres ...
. A photograph of McLaughlin and the Standing Rock delegation, including the noted chief
Sitting Bull and interpreter Louis Primeau, along with U.S. Commissioners, U.S. Indian Agents, interpreters and many Sioux chiefs, was taken on the front steps of the capital in 1888. The leaders were meeting to discuss implementation of the
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the Pres ...
at the Great Sioux Reservation, then consisting of 22 million acres. The act called for distributing the reservation's communal lands as allotments to heads of individual households. The government intended for the Lakota to adopt subsistence-style farming on the European-American model and give up their nomadic hunting lifestyle. Under the legislation, the government would declare remaining lands after allotment as "surplus," to be made available for sale to non-Lakota people.
To implement the Dawes Act among the Plains tribes, officials registered all tribal members on what have become known as the
Dawes Rolls
The Dawes Rolls (or Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, or Dawes Commission of Final Rolls) were created by the United States Dawes Commission. The commission was authorized by United States Congress in 1893 to exe ...
. Documented descent from individuals listed as tribal members on these rolls is required by some sovereign tribes today for a person to qualify as a member; each tribe establishes its own rules.
McLaughlin is best known for having ordered the arrest of
Sitting Bull on December 15, 1890. He had been warned by Lt. Bull Head that the chief was preparing to go to the
Pine Ridge Reservation, where the
Ghost Dance movement was strong. McLaughlin and other U.S. officials feared this would inspire resistance among the Lakota; they worried that the Ghost Dance was a kind of pre-war dance. McLaughlin partially blamed
Caroline Weldon
Caroline Weldon (born Susanna Karolina Faesch; December 4, 1844March 15, 1921) was a Swiss-American artist and activist with the National Indian Defense Association. Weldon became a confidante and the personal secretary to the Lakota Sioux Ind ...
, an Indian Rights Activist from Brooklyn, N.Y., who had befriended
Sitting Bull, for having influenced the chief into open defiance. As agency police attempted the arrest of Sitting Bull at his camp by the
Grand River, a confrontation with his followers erupted. The chief was shot and killed, along with several Lakota and several agency police. The Lakota were outraged when they learned of the respected chief's murder. Rising tensions among the people led to the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
-
Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
* Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples
Place names
In the United States:
* Lakota, Iowa
* Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County
* La ...
confrontation on
Pine Ridge at
Wounded Knee two weeks later, resulting in the Army massacre of many Lakota.
As the Department of the Army had oversight over Indian affairs, it frequently gave Indian agents military titles commensurate with their
civil service status as government employees. McLaughlin appears as "Major" in his early years as Indian agent. After 1895, when he was promoted to Inspector for the Indian Department and the
Department of the Interior, which had been given authority for Indian affairs, and thus is noted as
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
afterwards.
In 1910 he published a memoir of his life entitled ''My Friend the Indian''.
He died in Washington, D.C. in 1923, while still working. McLaughlin is buried in
the town named for him, on the
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
side of the
Standing Rock
The Standing Rock Reservation ( lkt, Íŋyaŋ Woslál Háŋ) lies across the border between North Dakota, North and South Dakota in the United States, and is inhabited by ethnic "Hunkpapa Lakota, Hunkpapa and Sihasapa bands of Lakota Oyate a ...
reservation.
Legacy and honors
*
McLaughlin, South Dakota
McLaughlin ( Lakota: ''matȟó Akíčita or Makáȟleča''; "Bear Soldier") is a city in northeastern Corson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 663 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city on the Standing Rock Indian Reser ...
, was named for him.
*James McLaughlin's papers were passed on to his son Rupert, who died a year after his father. Rupert's widow sold some portions to historians. The manuscript collection, known as the "Major James McLaughlin Papers", was acquired by
Assumption Abbey in
Richardton, North Dakota
Richardton is a city in Stark County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 692 at the 2020 census. Richardton was founded in 1883. It is part of the Dickinson Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Richardton is home to Assumption Abbey, ...
, and a basic "Guide" created by Louis Pfaller. With foundation aid, microfilm of the collection, together with supplementary materials obtained from the US National Archives and Records Administration, was completed in 1969. The microfilm collection is held by the Pfau Library Special Collections, California State University at San Bernardino.
["Major James McLaughlin Papers"](_blank)
Pfau Library Special Collections, California State University at San Bernardino, accessed July 24, 2014 The 61 feet of McLaughlin Papers are now held by the
State Historical Society of North Dakota in Bismarck.
[10313 James McLaughlin Papers, 1855-1937 http://history.nd.gov/archives/mbumcripts/indians.html]
References
External links
* James McLaughlin
''Report on the December 1890 killing of Sitting Bull'' Primeau Family website, with links to documents of 19th century
* James McLaughlin
''My Friend the Indian'' California State University at San Bernardino
* Louis L. Pfaller OSB
Richardton, North Dakota 1969 - text
"Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Major James McLaughlin Papers"- facsimile
* Louis L. Pfaller OSB
*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110714060558/http://www.mclaughlin100.com/Major-James-Mclaughlin-Rodeo.php Major James Mclaughlin RodeoChief Gall's Life on the Standing Rock Reservation 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaughlin, James
1842 births
1923 deaths
Burials in South Dakota
Writers from North Dakota
Writers from South Dakota
Pre-Confederation Canadian emigrants to the United States
People from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
United States Indian agents