Frederick Tecumseh "Dash" Waite, occasionally spelled Fred WayteOtero, Miguel Antonio (1936). ''The Real Billy the Kid with new light on the Lincoln County War,'' Rufus Rockwell Wilson, New York, p.46 (September 23, 1853 – September 24, 1895) (

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

) was noted for a period when he was a cowboy in New Mexico and a member of Billy the Kid's gang. He was also known for later serving as a legislator in the Chickasaw Nation government, and as its Attorney General. As a young man, Waite left Indian Territory to work as a cowboy in the

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

. While working for John Tunstall as a ranch hand, he met Bill Bonney and several other men. After Tunstall was killed in the Lincoln County War, Bonney, Waite and the others pursued Tunstall's killers as vigilantes, calling themselves the Regulators. As they turned to criminal activities, they became known as the " Billy the Kid gang." In 1880 at about age 27, Waite left the gang and returned to the Chickasaw Nation to build a more settled life. He married, became a rancher, and started a family. He lived a law-abiding life thereafter and became involved in Choctaw and Chickasaw politics. He was elected to the Chickasaw legislature both as a representative and as a senator. When serving as a representative, he was elected for three sessions as Speaker of the House. He was appointed by the council and chief as Attorney General of the Chickasaw Nation. He died of

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...

at the age of 42.

Early life

Fred Waite's middle name of

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

was after a prominent Native leader. He was born in the Chickasaw Nation at Fort Arbuckle, in what is now

Garvin County, Oklahoma Garvin County is a county in south-central Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,656. Its county seat is Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, Pauls Valley. In 1906, delegates to the Constitution Co ...

. He was the son of Catherine (née McClure) Waite and Thomas Fletcher Waite. His father was a farmer who also operated a trading store and stage stop southeast of Pauls Valley in the Chickasaw Nation,

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

. His mother was

mixed race The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mul ...

(as was he and his siblings) and his maternal grandparents were Ela "Ellen" Teecha (Chickasaw) and the Rev. A.J. McClure, an English missionary who immigrated to the Nation to serve the Chickasaw. The missionary met and married Ela Teecha after he arrived in the Chickasaw nation. During the Civil War, the Waite family supported the Union. They were pursued by Confederate soldiers as the conflict reached the Nation, and fled to the Sac and Fox reservation in Kansas, which supported the Union. After the war, they returned to

.Weiser, Kathy. "Old West Legends: Fred Waite - Chickasaw Outlaw Turned Politician"
Legends of America. October 2012.] Accessed November 30. 2016 Reportedly, Fred was sent to school first at the Illinois Industrial University, for education in European-American ways. He moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, where he graduated from Mound City Commercial College in 1874. After his father's death, Waite returned to the Fort Arbuckle to manage the family store. He also managed a crew of thirty ranch hands who were looking after about a thousand head of cattle.

Life in New Mexico

As Fred grew older, he decided to become a cowboy. He left home in 1875, intending to go to Colorado. He wound up in

Lincoln County, New Mexico Lincoln County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,269. Its county seat is Carrizozo, while its largest community is Ruidoso. History Prior to the creation of Lincoln County, the Mescal ...

, where he got a job as a ranch hand with John Chisum in 1877. Waite later worked for John Tunstall, a rancher who was later to be one of the leaders of the Tunstall-McSween vs. Dolan war, better known as the Lincoln County War. Waite worked as a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

er for Tunstall. On February 18, 1878, after Tunstall was killed, Waite became a member of the Regulators. They originally collected as a posse led by Dick Brewer to serve arrest warrants on Tunstall's killers. Through the posse, Waite met Billy Bonney, Jose Chavez y Chavez ( American Indian), Henry Brown, Jim French, and Charlie Bowdre. They later formed what became known as Billy the Kid's gang, led by Bonney. The gang came into conflict with law enforcement and also attacked a suspect in Tunstall's murder. Waite was allegedly behind a wall with the gang when they killed William J. Brady, sheriff of

. He was also present when the gang killed Buckshot Roberts, a suspect in the murder of Tunstall.Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life.'' p. 71.

Return to Indian Territory

Waite was said to have stayed with the Regulators long enough to become the subject of one county and two federal arrest warrants. The gang split up, and Waite headed back to Indian Territory. He settled in the Washita Valley. He married Mary E. Thompson on December 1, 1881, moved to the Chickasaw Nation, and started a family.

Serving the Chickasaw

Determined to turn his life around, Waite tried several different occupations. First, he began ranching, then he worked as a lawman for the U.S. Indian Police. They had jurisdiction for certain crimes under federal law. Waite became involved in tribal politics. He became a delegate to an inter-tribal conference. He was elected as a representative from his home district, and then as a senator in the Chickasaw government. It had two houses for its legislature. While serving as representative, he was elected by other members as Speaker of the House for three sessions. After that he was appointed by the chief as Attorney General of the Chickasaw Nation. While in this position, he died of

on September 24, 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waite, Fred 1853 births 1895 deaths 19th-century Native American people Cowboys American vigilantes Gunslingers of the American Old West Illinois Industrial University alumni Lincoln County Wars Outlaws of the American Old West Native American tribal government officials in Indian Territory People from New Mexico Territory Members of the Chickasaw Nation legislature