Janelle Echo Lattimore Fullbright (December 11, 1945 – December 10, 2016) was a Cherokee politician and educator who was a member of the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...

Tribal Council representing District 6 from 2007 to 2015. She served as the deputy speaker from 2013 to 2015.

Life

Fullbright was born on December 11, 1945, to S. Loyd Lattimore and Juanita Garvin Lattimore in the Akins/Miller Ridge Community near Akins, Oklahoma. She was a

citizen. The youngest of three children, Fullbright graduated from Central High School in the early 1960s. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Northeastern State University and later obtained two master's degree. Fullbright was an elementary school teacher at Central Elementary. She was involved in her community as a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Sallisaw. Fullbright married Alfred Fullbright on March 26, 1964, and they had two children. In 1996, Fullbright was appointed by principal chief Joe Byrd to the Cherokee Nation gaming commission. Fullbright served on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council for district 6 from 2007 to 2015. During this period, she was served a two-year term as deputy speaker starting on August 29, 2013. Fullbright was chair of the health committee. She supported the establishment of a dialysis center at the Redbird Smith Health Center in Sallisaw, the re-establishment of the Cherokee Nation Housing Authority, the expansion of the

Cherokee Casino Roland The Cherokee Casino Roland is a casino complex located in Roland, Oklahoma. It is owned and operated by Cherokee Nation Entertainment, a division of Cherokee Nation Businesses (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cherokee Nation). Casino The ...

, and the increase of the Cherokee Nation Higher Education Scholarship. Term limited, Fullbright was succeeded by

Bryan Warner Bryan Warner is a Cherokee Nation politician who has served as the deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation since 2019 and who served as the Cherokee Nation tribal councilor for the 6th district from 2015 to 2019. Early life and education Warner gradu ...

. In 2015, principal chief

Bill John Baker Bill John Baker (born February 9, 1952) is the previous Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. First elected in October 2011, Baker defeated three-term incumbent Chief Chad "Corntassel" Smith.Jouzapavicius, Justin"Cherokee Nation: Challenger wins ...

awarded Fullbright the Cherokee Nation Statesman Award. The same year, he appointed her to the Cherokee Nation Business Board. In this role, she served on the audit, governance and legal and cultural committees. Fullbright died on December 10, 2016, in her home in Sallisaw.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fullbright, Janelle 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century Native American women Members of the Council of the Cherokee Nation Women in Oklahoma politics Cherokee Nation women 21st-century Native American politicians Native American educators 21st-century American women educators Schoolteachers from Oklahoma People from Stilwell, Oklahoma Native American women in politics 1945 births 2016 deaths Northeastern State University alumni