Lawrie Tatum (May 16, 1822 in Mullica Hill, New Jersey - January 22, 1900 in

Springdale, Iowa Springdale is a small unincorporated community in Cedar County, Iowa, United States. Historically, the town was predominantly settled by Quakers, and was one of Iowa's most important stations on the Underground Railroad. Starting in 1857, Spring ...

) was a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

who was best known as an Indian Agent to the Kiowa and

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

tribes at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

agency in Indian Territory. He was born to Quaker parents George and Lydia Tatum near Mullica Hill, New Jersey in 1822 and moved to

Goshen, Ohio Goshen is a census-designated place in central Goshen Township, Clermont County, Ohio, United States. It is centered on State Route 28 (especially where it overlaps with State Routes 132 and 48), approximately midway between Milford and B ...

in 1831 followed by a move to Cedar County, Iowa in 1844. When President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

's "Peace Policy" concerning U.S. policy with Native American tribes went into effect, officials of the Society of Friends (Quakers) met with Grant and requested members of their organization be assigned as Indian agents. This led to the "Quaker Policy"; replacing corrupt agents in the Indian Bureau with Quakers, which was later expanded to include other religious denominations. On July 1, 1869, Tatum began his duties "acting in the capacity of governor, legislature, judge, sheriff and accounting officer" for the Kiowa and Comanche Agency at

in the Indian Territory. Tatum was known to the Kiowa and Comanche tribes as Pot-ta-wat Pervo (Bald Head Agent). While acting as Indian agent, Tatum secured the release of many white and

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

captives, including the family of Gottfried Koozer, whose wife and five children were kidnapped by Chief

White Horse A white horse is born predominantly white and stays white throughout its life. A white horse has mostly pink skin under its hair coat, and may have brown, blue, or hazel eyes. "True white" horses, especially those that carry one of the dominant ...

of the Kiowa. Tatum resigned as an Indian agent for the Comanche, Kiowa, and Wichita Reservation on March 31, 1873 with

James M. Haworth James Mahlon Haworth (November 19, 1831 – March 12, 1885) was a United States Army major, an Indian agent, and the first Superintendent of Indian Schools in the United States. Biography Haworth, a Quaker, was born in Wilmington, Ohio, and stud ...

appointed as his successor. Lawrie Tatum's departure precipitated partly to his opposition and protest for the release of

Satanta Satanta can refer to: * Satanta (Kiowa leader), a leader of the Kiowa people * Satanta, Kansas, a town in the United States See also

* Setanta (disambiguation) * Santana (disambiguation) {{disambig ...

and the Kiowa chief's participation in the Warren Wagon Train raid of 1871. In 1884, he was appointed guardian to future United States president Herbert Hoover and Hoover's brother Theodore and sister Mary after the death of their mother. Having worked closely with American Indians and President Ulysses S. Grant, Tatum wrote an account of Grant's Peace Policy, entitled, ''Our red brothers and the peace policy of President Ulysses S. Grant'', first published in 1899. Tatum, 1899/1970, Title page

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tatum, Lawrie 1822 births 1900 deaths American Quakers People from Harrison Township, New Jersey People from Cedar County, Iowa Herbert Hoover 19th-century Quakers People from Clermont County, Ohio United States Indian agents