Elias Cornelius Boudinot
Elias Cornelius Boudinot (1835-1890) was a prominent figure among the relocated Cherokee people, known for his entrepreneurial efforts and legal career in the Indian Territory. He was the son of Elias Boudinot, a signatory of the Treaty of New Echota. After initially working as an engineer, Boudinot shifted his focus to law and journalism, becoming a licensed attorney in 1856 while also contributing editorials to local newspapers in Arkansas. During the Civil War, he served in the Confederate Army, reflecting the complex allegiances within the Cherokee community at the time.
Boudinot played a significant role in the establishment of the Watie and Boudinot Tobacco Company alongside his uncle, Stand Watie. They capitalized on a favorable aspect of the Treaty of 1866, which exempted Cherokee manufacturing from federal excise taxes, enabling them to sell chewing tobacco at competitive prices. However, their business faced challenges when U.S. marshals seized their company, leading to a Supreme Court ruling that curtailed their economic advantages and imposed taxes retroactively. In the years that followed, Boudinot became a controversial figure among his people due to his advocacy for dividing tribal lands into individual allotments. Despite the mixed reception he received, he continued to engage in farming and legal practice in the Indian Territory throughout the 1880s.
Elias Cornelius Boudinot
- Born: August 1, 1835
- Birthplace: Near Rome, Georgia
- Died: September 27, 1890
- Place of death: Unknown
Category: Businessman, lawyer
Tribal affiliation: Cherokee
Significance: Boudinot, a lawyer and tobacco factory owner, was involved in a Supreme Court case with far-reaching implications
The son of Elias Boudinot, one of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota, Elias Cornelius Boudinot was one of the first relocated Cherokees to realize the possibility of great profits in Indian Territory. As a young man, Boudinot worked briefly as an engineer, but he soon changed careers. Settling in Arkansas, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1856. He also worked as a journalist, writing editorials for newspapers in Arkansas. During the Civil War, he served in the Confederate Army.
The Treaty of 1866 between the U.S. government and the Cherokees allowed manufacturing and merchandising to proceed on Cherokee land without excise tax being levied by the U.S. government. In the late 1860’s, Boudinot and his uncle, Stand Watie, created the Watie and Boudinot Tobacco Company. They found that the cost of manufacturing chewing tobacco was forty-three cents per pound. Competing firms’ product, after federal excise taxes were added, sold at seventy-five cents per pound. Boudinot quickly realized that he could sell his product at a significantly lower price. He used his profits to stake out extensive land claims of his own.
On December 20, 1869, however, U.S. marshals seized the Watie and Boudinot Tobacco Company after competitors claimed that the company had an unfair advantage. The case came before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 1871 that an act of Congress can supersede any treaty previously entered into and that the Watie and Boudinot Tobacco Company could be held post facto for unpaid excise taxes. This court decision ended one of the few economic advantages held by the Cherokees.
In the years after the case, Boudinot was a controversial figure, disliked by many Cherokees, as he advocated dividing Indian lands into individual allotments. He continued to farm and practice law in Indian Territory into the 1880’s.