Cedric Cromwell, also known as ''Qaqeemasq'' (or Running Bear) in ''Wôpanâak'', is the Former Tribal Council Chairman of the

Mashpee Wampanoag The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (formerly Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, Inc.) is one of two federally recognized tribes of Wampanoag people in Massachusetts. Recognized in 2007, they are headquartered in Mashpee on Cape Cod. The other Wa ...

Tribe of Massachusetts. Elected in 2009 as chairman, Cedric Cromwell was the head of the official elected government for the 2,600-member federally recognized tribe. Cromwell was removed from office in 2020 after being Federally Indicted

Biography

Cromwell is the son of James Oliver Cromwell of

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth County and is the largest population centre in the region. History Originally inhab ...

and Constance "Lone Eagless" Tobey-Cromwell of

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood comprising more than in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, E ...

. She served as the Wampanoag Tribal Secretary.

Tribal activities

Cromwell was elected to the Tribal Council and served for eight years before being elected Chairman in 2009. He was elected as part of a reform movement following the resignation of the former chairman,

Glenn Marshall Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement i ...

, who pleaded guilty on "federal embezzling, mail fraud and election finance charges". Cromwell has gained financial backing for the tribe's casino development effort from the Malaysian billionaire

Lim Goh Tong Lim Goh Tong (; 28 February 1918 – 23 October 2007) was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese entrepreneur. He was the founder of Genting Highlands and renowned for transforming the resort from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's mo ...

and his Kien Huat Realty arm of the

Genting Group The Genting Group is headquartered in Wisma Genting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Group comprises the holding company Genting Berhad (), its listed subsidiaries Genting Malaysia Berhad (), Genting Plantations Berhad (), Genting Singapore Plc () ...

. The chairman hired the former U.S. representative

Bill Delahunt William David Delahunt (; July 18, 1941March 30, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing from 1997 to 2011. Delahunt did not ...

to lobby on behalf of the tribe. Because the Wampanoag have long been without a reservation, Cromwell is committed to securing federal lands in trust for the tribe. Under state and federal gaming laws, such land is necessary as a sovereign base for the tribal plan to establish a gaming casino resort, with plans to include hotels, restaurants, slot parlors and retail shopping. The previous council chair Glenn Marshall had similar proposals for a Mashpee Wampanoag land-in-trust reservation, including the establishment of an international free-trade zone and Indian wholesale banking operations independent from state and federal regulators. Cromwell has traveled to Washington, DC, to lobby on Native American issues. He supports the Native CLASS Act to improve education of Native children, and the equal treatment of all Indian tribes by the federal government. He testified before the

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a select or special committee (United States Congress), committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the Native Americans in the United States, American Indian, Nati ...

. He is working to gain Congressional approval for legislation to enable the Wampanoag to acquire land for the government to hold in trust. But the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

decision in '' Carcieri v. Salazar'' (2012) ruled that tribes not under federal jurisdiction in 1934 could not acquire land that could be classified as trust land by the Department of Interior. Any land they acquired would be treated in common with other privately held land.

Personal

Cromwell is married to Cheryl Frye-Cromwell.

External links

Official Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe website

Reel Wamps
anonymous blog critical of tribal affairs.
"More Wampanoag debt, more secrets"
WampaLeaks, 4 November 2012, anonymous blog

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cromwell, Cedric D. Native American leaders Living people 1965 births Roxbury Community College Mashpee Wampanoag people Native American people from Massachusetts 20th-century Native American people 21st-century Native American people

Biography

Tribal activities

Personal

See also

External links

References