Benson Pikey

Born in Mississippi about 1837, Benson Pikey came to Indian Territory when the Chickasaw were forced to leave their Homelands. Mr. Pikey was active in Chickasaw politics and a successful businessman. He was elected to the Chickasaw House of Representatives where he served as Speaker of the House.

Mr. Pikey ran a successful ranch that covered more than 1,000 acres. He established one of the most important cattle crossings of the Chisolm Trail, Pikey’s Crossing. Pikey’s Crossing later became the main crossing point on the South Canadian River between Chickasha and Oklahoma City.

Mr. Pikey was granted permission by the Chickasaw Nation to help build a 50-mile fence along the South Canadian River. The fence protected Chickasaw lands from livestock theft and other criminal activities on the lands bordering the river.

Cyrus Harris

Born on the traditional Chickasaw homelands, Cyrus Harris arrived in Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) in 1837. In 1856, he was elected the first governor of the Chickasaw Nation. Cyrus Harris would serve a total of five terms.

As governor during the opening days of the Civil War, he continued to express concerns over the infiltration of non-Indian people on Chickasaw lands and the railroads. After the war, he continued to lead the Chickasaw people through the difficult reconstruction period.

Douglas Johnston

Douglas Henry Johnston was elected as Governor of the Chickasaw Nation in 1898, 1900 and 1904. He was the first Chickasaw governor to be appointed by the president of the United States in 1906. He served as the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation until 1939. Johnston was an advocate for the education of Chickasaw people and worked to maintain tribal control of Chickasaw schools. The Chickasaw Nation Division of Education Building, located in Ada, Oklahoma, is named in honor of Johnston.

Euel Moore

A world-class Chickasaw athlete, Monk was known as the "workhorse" of baseball. He played three seasons with the major league team the Philadelphia Phillies. After a baseball injury, Monk joined the U.S. Army. Once discharge from the army, Monk served as a game ranger for 27 years in the Tishomingo District. Monk was a fluent Chickasaw speaker and was inducted to the Chickasaw Hall of Fame in 1996.

Governor Anoatubby

Bill Anoatubby has served as the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation since 1987. Prior to that, he served as the first lt. governor from 1979-1987. In his first term as governor, he established goals of economic development and self-sufficiency for the Chickasaw Nation and its people.

Today, the Chickasaw Nation is well on the way to achieving those goals. The tribe employs nearly 13,000 people and funding for tribal operations has grown tremendously. Governor Anoatubby is committed to meeting the needs and desires of Chickasaw people by providing health care services, opportunities for employment and career advancement, heritage preservation, cultural preservation and growth, and the chance for every Chickasaw to obtain a higher education.

Jesse Renick

John Herrington

As the first Native American astronaut, Commander John Herrington was selected in 1996 to serve as a mission specialist in the space shuttle program. Herrington carried a Chickasaw Nation flag, presented to him personally by Governor Bill Anoatubby, aboard the space shuttle in honor of his Native American ancestry.

On November 23, 2002, Herrington traveled to space and completed three space walks which helped to build the International Space Station. Herrington continues to promote, inspire and encourage Native American youth to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. He has two children and enjoys rock climbing, snow skiing, running and cycling.

Kaylea Arnett

Kaylea Arnett, a Chickasaw from Spring, Texas, is a world class athlete who competes in diving. Currently a freshman at Virginia Tech, she is a member of the Woodlands Diving Academy under the direction of Olympic coach Kenny Armstrong and Bob Gunter.

She received Junior National Champion honors and placed second at the Junior World Championships. Arnett is a Junior Pan American Champion and has qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials.

Mary McClendon

Ataloa was a nationally renowned concert vocalist, educator and advocate for Native American arts and education. Ataloa taught at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where they named the Ataloa Lodge Museum after her, and at Idyllwild School of Music and Arts in Idyllwild, California.

Sally Bell

Chickasaw Governor Overton James appointed Mrs. Bell to the commission assisting in writing the present Chickasaw Nation Constitution. The Chickasaw people voted in overwhelming support of the document. Her contribution to this historic document exemplifies the rights and freedom of all her people.

Mrs. Bell understood the importance of her heritage and her ancestors. She was integral in using what she had learned from the past to help influence good for the future of the Chickasaw tribe. A strong belief in "learning from whence we have come and looking forward to where we need to be in the future" describes her outlook and focus.

Tessie Mobley

Tessie Lushanya Mobley was one of the world's most famous and loved operatic sopranos in the 1940s and 1950s. She was known as the "Songbird of the Chickasaws." She was the first Native American to perform at any of the tradition famed opera houses throughout Europe and the United States. While performing in Europe, she was presented to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and was asked to sing at the King's coronation. Mobley was proud of her Chickasaw heritage and shared her culture with those around her everywhere she traveled.

Towana Spivey

Towana Spivey is a Chickasaw historian/preservationist/archaeologist who has developed his lifelong love of history to benefit American Indian tribes across Oklahoma. He has served as a consultant on many Chickasaw preservation projects, including the Chickasaw White House and the 1855 Council House.

In 1982, he became the director and curator of the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum in Lawton, Okla., a special setting with a unique mix of Native American and Euro-American history. During his lifetime he has penned numerous books and writings, and has acted as a historical consultant for documentaries and major motion pictures such as "Windtalkers" and "Dances with Wolves." His love for Oklahoma and its people is everlasting and he respects his Chickasaw heritage and the heritage of others.