Charles Curtis

Vice President

• Born: January 25, 1860
• Birthplace: Topeka, Kansas Territory (now in Kansas)
• Died: February 8, 1936
• Place of death: Washington, D.C.

Tribal affiliation: Kansa

Significance: Curtis was the first American of Indian descent to serve in the United States Senate and the first to become vice president of the United States

Charles Curtis was born and spent much of his childhood in Topeka, Kansas. In 1881, Curtis established a law practice in Topeka. He soon won election to become the prosecuting attorney of Shawnee County, serving from 1885 to 1889. Curtis’ first foray into national politics occurred in 1893, when he won election to the United States House of Representatives on the Republican ticket. Curtis served until 1907, when he was elected to the United States Senate. As the first Native American to serve in the Senate, Curtis took an active role in Indian matters, chairing the Committee on Indian Depredations. Curtis was a member of the United States Senate from 1907 to 1913, and again from 1915 to 1929. During that period, Curtis was the Republican whip, responsible for gathering and counting votes, from 1915 to 1924, but then he ascended to the position of Senate majority leader, considered to be the most powerful leadership role in the Senate, which he held from 1925 to 1929.

Curtis was elected vice president of the United States in 1928, serving under President Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1933. After failing to win re-election, he resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C., where he resided for the remainder of his life. Curtis died in Washington, D.C., on February 8, 1936. His remains are interred at the Topeka Cemetery in Topeka, Kansas.

Bibliography

Seitz, Don Carlos. From Kaw Teepee to Capitol: The Life Story of Charles Curtis, Indian, Who Has Risen to High Estate. New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1928.

Unrau, William E. Mixed Bloods and Tribal Dissolution: Charles Curtis and the Quest for Indian Identity. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1989.