This is a list of Native Americans with documented tribal ancestry or affiliation in the U.S. Congress. Native Americans in US House

All entries on this list are related to Native American tribes based in the contiguous United States. There are Native Hawaiians who have served in Congress, but they are not listed here because they are distinct from North American Natives. Only two Native Americans served in the

115th Congress The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...

Tom Cole Thomas Jeffery Cole (born April 28, 1949) is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party and serves as Deputy Minority Whip. The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) fr ...

(serving since 2003) and

Markwayne Mullin Mark Wayne "Markwayne" Mullin (born July 26, 1977) is an American businessman, former professional mixed martial arts fighter, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oklahoma since 2023. A member of the Republican Party ...

(served from 2013 until 2023), both of whom are Republican Representatives from Oklahoma. On November 6, 2018, Democrats Sharice Davids of Kansas and

Deb Haaland Debra Anne Haaland (; born December 2, 1960) is an American politician serving as the 54th United States secretary of the interior. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017 and a ...

of New Mexico were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the

116th Congress The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2019, and ended on Janua ...

, which commenced on January 3, 2019, had four Native Americans. Davids and Haaland are the first two Native American women with documented tribal ancestry to serve in Congress. At the start of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021, five Native Americans were serving in the House, the largest Native delegation in history: Cole, Mullin, Haaland and Davids were all reelected in 2020, with Republican

Yvette Herrell Stella Yvette Herrell ( ; born March 16, 1964) is an American politician and realtor serving as the U.S. representative for New Mexico's 2nd congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, she served four terms as a member of the New M ...

of New Mexico elected for the first time in 2020. The number dropped back down to four on March 16, 2021 when Haaland resigned her House seat to become Secretary of the Interior. On August 16, 2022, Mary Peltola, a

Yup'ik The Yup'ik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Central Yup'ik, Alaskan Yup'ik ( own name ''Yup'ik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an I ...

woman, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Alaska, becoming the first person with documented

Native Alaskan Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

ancestry to serve in Congress. This returned the number of the Native delegation to five, with a partisan split of three Republicans and two Democrats. This also marked the first time that a Native American, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian ( Kai Kahele) simultaneously served in Congress. Following the November 2022 elections, incumbents Cole (R-OK), Davids (D-KS) and Peltola (D-AK) all retained their seats, while Cherokee Republican Markwayne Mullin retired from the House and was elected to the Senate: Mullin became the first Native senator since the retirement of

Ben Nighthorse Campbell Ben Nighthorse Campbell (born April 13, 1933) is an American Cheyenne politician who represented Colorado's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993, and as a United States Senator from Colorado f ...

(R-CO) in 2005, and his House seat was won by Choctaw Republican Josh Brecheen. In the same election, Yvette Herrell lost her seat due to redistricting, which drew litigation over alleged political

gerrymandering In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...

; as such, Native Americans in the 118th Congress remain five, four in the House and one in the Senate. The partisan split is three Republicans and two Democrats. The states represented by Native members of Congress also dropped from four to three with Herrell's defeat in New Mexico. Entries shaded in blue refer to current members of the U.S. Congress.

Senate

Denotes incumbent

Histograph

The histograph below sets forth the number of Native Americans who served in the United States Senate during the periods provided.

House of Representatives

Denotes incumbent {, class="wikitable sortable" , - bgcolor="#CCCCCC" !Picture !Representative
!Tribal ancestry !State !Party !Term start !Term end !Notes , - , rowspan=2 , Richard Harvey Cain

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Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

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South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

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Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, , , rowspan=2 , Retired , - , , , - , John Mercer Langston - Brady-Handy

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, Pamunkey ,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, ,

, , , Lost Reelection , - , Charles Curtis-portrait

,
,

Kaw Kaw or KAW may refer to: Mythology * Kaw (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology * Johnny Kaw, mythical settler of Kansas, US * Kaw (character), in ''The Chronicles of Prydain'' People * Kaw people, a Native American tribe Places * Kaw, Fr ...

,
Osage,
Potawatomi ,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, ,

, , , Resigned to become U.S. Senator from

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Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classif ...

, Oklahoma , , Democratic , , , Lost renomination , - , rowspan=2 , WilliamWHastings

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, rowspan=2 , Oklahoma , rowspan=2 , Democratic , , , Lost reelection , - , , , Retired , - , Will Rogers, Jr

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California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, , Democratic , , , Resigned to join the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, - ,

,
, Choctaw , Oklahoma , , Democratic , , , Died in office , - , Ben Reifel

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,

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 ...

Sioux
( Rosebud Sioux) , , ,

, , , Retired , - , Clem McSpadden

,
,

, Oklahoma , , Democratic , , , Retired to run unsuccessfully for the nomination to the 1974 Oklahoma gubernatorial election , - , Ben Campbell

,
, ,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, , Democratic , , , Retired to run successfully for the 1992 United States Senate election in Colorado , - , Brad carson23

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,

, Oklahoma , , Democratic , , , Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 2004 United States Senate election in Oklahoma , - style="background:#9BDDFF" , Rep-Tom-Cole-117thCong

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, Oklahoma , ,

, , Incumbent , Longest serving Native American in the House , - , Markwayne Mullin, 117th Congress portrait

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, Oklahoma , ,

, , , ''Retired to run successfully for the

2022 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma The 2022 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate for Oklahoma. The election took place concurrently with the regularly scheduled election for Oklahoma's ...

'' , - style="background:#9BDDFF" , Sharice Davids

,
, Ho-Chunk ,

, , Democratic , , Incumbent , First LGBTQ Native American elected , - , Deb Haaland official portrait, 116th congress 2

,
,

Laguna Pueblo The Laguna Pueblo ( Western Keres: Kawaika ʰɑwɑjkʰɑ is a federally recognized tribe of Native American Pueblo people in west-central New Mexico, near the city of Albuquerque, in the United States. Part of the Laguna territory is includ ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, , Democratic , , , Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior , - , Yvette Herrell official photo, 117th Congress

, {{nowrap, {{sortname, Yvette, Herrell
{{small, (born 1964) ,

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, {{party shading/Republican ,

, {{dts, format=mdy, 2021, 1, 3 , {{dts, format=mdy, 2023, 1, 3 , Lost Reelection{{Cite web , last=Slacik , first=Sophia , date=2022-10-24 , title=New Mexico election results: Democrat Gabe Vasquez ousts Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell , url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-mexico-election-results-democrat-gabe-vasquez-ousts-republican-rep-yvette-herrell , access-date=2022-11-10 , website=Fox News , language=en-US , - style="background:#9BDDFF" , Rep

, {{sortname, Mary, Peltola
{{small, (born 1973) ,

, {{flagicon, Alaska

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, {{party shading/Democratic , Democratic , {{dts, format=mdy, 2022, 9, 13 , Incumbent , First Alaska Native elected to Congress , - style="background:#9BDDFF" , Rep

, {{sortname, Josh, Brecheen
{{small, (born 1979) , Choctaw , {{flagicon, Oklahoma Oklahoma , {{party shading/Republican ,

, {{dts, format=mdy, 2023, 1, 3 , Incumbent ,

Cherokee delegate to the United States House of Representatives (not seated)

; Political party {{legend2, {{party color, Democratic Party (United States), Democratic, border=1px solid #AAAAAA {, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: center;" , + Cherokee delegates to the United States House of Representatives !scope="col" colspan="3" class="unsortable" , Delegate–elect ! scope="col" ,

Congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

!Tribe ! scope="col" , Year Designated ! scope="col" ,

Party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

! scope="col" ,

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

! scope="col" , Notes , - , style="background: {{party color, Democratic Party (United States);" width="16px" , , , scope="row", Kimberly Teehee {{small, (born 1968) , Cherokee delegate , Cherokee Nation , 2019 , Democratic , {{USCongressOrdinal, 116, 117
{{USCongressOrdinal, 118 , Appointed by

Chuck Hoskin Jr. Chuck Hoskin Jr. (born 1974/1975) is a Cherokee-American politician and attorney currently serving as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation since 2019. Hoskin has previously served as a Tribal Councilor for the Cherokee Nation between 2007 a ...

in August 2019 and approved unanimously by committee. Teehee was not seated during the 116th Congress. , - , style="background: ;" width="16px" , , , scope="row", Victoria Holland , Cherokee delegate ,

United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma ( or , abbreviated United Keetoowah Band or UKB) is a federally recognized tribe of Cherokee Native Americans headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. According to the UKB website, its member ...

, 2021 , , {{USCongressOrdinal, 117
{{USCongressOrdinal, 118 , Appointed by committee in 2021. Holland has not been seated in the 117th Congress.

Histograph

The histograph below sets forth the number of Native Americans who served in the United States House during the periods provided. {, class="wikitable sortable" , - ! Starting ! Total ! Graph , - , March 4, 1789 , , 0 , , , - , March 4, 1873 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , March 4, 1875 , , 0 , , , - , March 4, 1877 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , March 4, 1879 , , 0 , , , - , September 23, 1890 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , March 3, 1891 , , 0 , , , - , March 4, 1893 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , January 28, 1907 , , 0 , , , - , November 16, 1907 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , March 4, 1915 , , 2 , , ❚❚ , - , March 4, 1921 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , March 4, 1923 , , 2 , , ❚❚ , - , March 4, 1927 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , January 3, 1935 , , 0 , , , - , January 3, 1943 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , March 28, 1944 , , 2 , , ❚❚ , - , May 23, 1944 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , August 21, 1952 , , 0 , , , - , January 3, 1961 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , January 3, 1971 , , 0 , , , - , January 3, 1973 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , January 3, 1975 , , 0 , , , - , January 3, 1987 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , January 3, 1993 , , 0 , , , - , January 3, 2001 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , January 3, 2003 , , 2 , , ❚❚ , - , January 3, 2005 , , 1 , , ❚ , - , January 3, 2013 , , 2 , , ❚❚ , - , January 3, 2019 , , 4 , , ❚❚❚❚ , - , January 3, 2021 , , 5 , , ❚❚❚❚❚ , - , March 16, 2021 , , 4 , , ❚❚❚❚ , - , September 13, 2022 , , 5 , , ❚❚❚❚❚

References

{{Reflist * {{cite book, last=Stubben , first=Jerry D. , title=Native Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mcvTv1MEJGQC&pg=PA171 , date=2006 , publisher=ABC-CLIO , isbn=978-1-57607-262-2 , page=171 {{Congresslists * Native