Native American From The Kaw Tribe Of Kansas Was Vice President Of The U.S.A.

Charles Curtis (Wikipedia)

Charles Curtis Grew Up On The Kaw Reservation Of Kansas 

Kaw Nation Website Entry Page

Over 90 years ago, a Native American was the 31st Vice President of the United States. Charles Curtis was the highest-ranking American Indian ever to serve in the U.S. government. He became Vice President in 1928, under Herbert Hoover.

Although his dad, Orren, was white, young Charles' mom was Kaw, Osage, Potawatomi and French. He was a descendant of two well known Native American chiefs – Chief White Plume of the Kaw Nation and Chief Pawhuska, who was Osage.

Charles Curtis was born in 1860, when Kansas was still a territory and before it became a state. (In other words, just as Alaska was a territory before it became a state in 1959). His mother died when he was only three years old, and he lived on the Kaw reservation when he was young, with his grandparents on his mother's side.  He came back to the reservation to live when he was older. He also lived in his formative years with his father's parents, in Topeka. 

A lifelong nationally-known politician, on his way to becoming Vice President of the United States Curtis was a member of the U.S House from Kansas' 1st district, a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1907 to 1929, and President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate in 1911. He was also the Senate Minority Whip, and then the leader of the Senate Republican Conference before becoming the Senate Majority Whip and then the Senate Majority Leader. 

Charles Curtis died in 1936.