Lewis Downing (c. 1823 – November 9, 1872), also known by his

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

name ᎷᏫ ᏌᏩᎾᏍᎩ ("Lewie-za-wau-na-skie") served as

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

of the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

from 1867 to 1872. After the death of John Ross, he was elected to a full term as Principal Chief. Downing worked to heal divisions in the tribe following removal to the

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, ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He was elected to a second term in 1871, but died in 1872. The Cherokee Council chose

William P. Ross William Potter Ross (August 28, 1820 – July 20, 1891), also known as Will Ross, was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1866-1867 and 1872-1875. Born to a Scottish father and a mixed-blood Cherokee sister of future chief John ...

as his successor.

Background

Downing was born in eastern

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

in about 1823 to Samuel Downing and his wife Susan Daugherty, who were both Cherokee with mixed European ancestry. The young Downing attended school at the Valley Town Mission in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. In 1839, Downing and his family went west during the

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...

, the forced removal of the

people from the southeastern United States. The family was part of the emigration group led by

Jesse Bushyhead Jesse Bushyhead (Cherokee ᎤᎾᏚᏘ, romanized ''Unaduti''; 1804–1844) was a Cherokee religious and political leader, and a Baptist minister. He was born near the present-day town of Cleveland, Tennessee.

. In 1839, the Downings arrived in what is now

Adair County, Oklahoma Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,495. Its county seat is Stilwell. Adair County was named after the Adair family of the Cherokee tribe. One source says that the co ...

. They settled near the site where Reverend Evan Jones had reorganized the Baptist Mission after its removal from North Carolina. Lewis Downing continued his education at Baptist Mission.

Career

Downing subsequently was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

as a Baptist minister. On August 3, 1844, he was unanimously chosen pastor of the Flint Baptist Church, succeeding the Reverend

. The young minister was a strong participant in

politics and as such was elected senator from Goingsnake District on August 4, 1845. He later removed to a farm on what is today the southeast corner of

Mayes County, Oklahoma Mayes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,046. Its county seat is Pryor Creek. Named for Samuel Houston Mayes, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1895 to 1899, it wa ...

, where he was elected to the senate on August 4, 1851, and again on August 1, 1859. In 1851, Downing served as a delegate from the Cherokee tribe to Washington, D.C.

Civil War

Lewis Downing was named

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

of the

1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles The 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles (also known as the 1st Arkansas Cherokee Mounted Rifles and the "Cherokee Braves") was a cavalry formation of the Confederate States Army in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. Formation ...

, which was formed by Chief Ross for the Confederate Army on October 4, 1861. The members of this regiment were mostly full bloods and were largely not slave owners. The regiment fought in the Confederate service at

Pea Ridge, Arkansas Pea Ridge is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The name Pea Ridge is derived from a combination of the physical location of the original settlement of the town, across the crest of a ridge of the Ozark Mountains, and for the ho ...

, on March 7–8, 1862. With the advance of the Union forces into the Territory in July 1862, and the departure of Chief Ross for

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

under growing internal tensions, the cavalry's members began to waver in their allegiance to the South. With few exceptions, among them John Drew, the Cherokee began to abandon

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

service. On July 11, 1862, at Flat Rock Creek, most joined the 3rd Regiment of the Indian Home Guards for service in the Union Army. This contingent was composed of three regiments consisting of 1,480 men, of which Lewis Downing was named Lieut. Colonel and the Rev. John B. Jones was designated its chaplain, in the brigade of Col.

William A. Phillips William Addison Phillips (1824–1893) was a Free-State Abolitionist journalist during the "Bleeding Kansas" period. He also served in the Civil War, ending the war as a colonel. Biography Born in Paisley, Scotland, Phillips attended the common ...

. Thomas Pegg and Downing would each serve as acting chief of the pro-Union Cherokee in Ross's absence. During their tenure, the nation's legislature passed legislation abolishing slavery and confiscating Confederate property. He also purchased some of the confiscated land and funded anti-Confederate Cherokee guerillas during the war. The pro-Confederate Cherokee were led by

Stand Watie Brigadier-General Stand Watie (; December 12, 1806September 9, 1871), also known as Standhope Uwatie and Isaac S. Watie, was a Cherokee politician who served as the second principal chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1862 to 1866. The Cherokee ...

, who was elected chief by his soldiers.

Post war

Lewis Downing, as president of the pro-Union tribal council, went to

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

in 1863 to alert the government to the divided situation of the Cherokee. After the war, a preliminary intertribal peace conference with the United States commissioners was held at Fort Smith on September 8, 1865. At this meeting Downing protested against the refusal of the commissioners to recognize John Ross as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee.

Becoming chief

John Ross died at Washington on August 1, 1866. As Assistant Principal Chief, Lewis Downing succeeded him and served until an election on October 19, 1866. The National Council chose

to fill the position of Principal Chief until the next election. Much bitterness lingered among the Cherokee following the end of the war. Among the Ross faction of the pro-Union Cherokee were many who insisted upon the exclusion of the pro-Confederate Cherokee (called Southern Cherokees) from tribal affairs. Downing opposed discrimination within the tribe and organized the creation of the Downing Party. His party advocated the inclusion of Southern Cherokees and received their support in exchange for nominating "full blood" candidates. Reverend John B. Jones threw his power and influence among the full bloods, behind the Downing movement. The compromise dramatically altered Cherokee politics and allowed for the rehabilitation of former Confederates open to reconciliation as well as the political ostracization of those refused to compromise. In the tribal election held on August 5, 1867, Lewis Downing was elected Principal Chief with the support of both factions. The Downing party controlled the political affairs of the Cherokee Nation until Statehood in 1908, except for the tenure of chief Dennis W. Bushyhead from 1879 to 1887. Lewis Downing signed the Treaty of April 27, 1869, at Washington. He represented the Cherokee at Washington as a delegate in 1869 and in 1870. He was re-elected on August 7, 1871.

Family

Downing first married Lydia Price. After Lydia's death, he married Lucinda Griffin. His third marriage was to Mary Eyre, a white widow whom he had met while he was in Washington. Mary moved to Tahlequah while Lewis' previous wife was still alive and married him after her death. Both Lewis and Mary died about two years later.

Death

He died in office at Tahlequah, on November 9, 1872. He died of inflammation of the brain. The Council was required to pick a successor to complete Downing's term. For unknown reasons, they turned to his old opponent, William Potter Ross.

References

Works cited

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