Lawyer (tribal leader)
Lawyer was a prominent Nez Perce tribal leader known for his role in negotiating treaties with the U.S. government during the mid-19th century. Born to Twisted Hair, a Nez Perce chief, and a Flathead woman, Lawyer’s early interactions with American explorers like Meriwether Lewis and William Clark laid the foundation for his later endeavors. He gained recognition as a skilled guide and interpreter, fluent in both English and Nez Perce, which enabled him to effectively communicate with various parties.
However, his treaty negotiations were met with significant opposition from other tribal leaders, particularly Chief Joseph the Younger, who criticized Lawyer for ceding land that he believed rightfully belonged to the tribe. Lawyer was appointed as a representative for the Nez Perce by the territorial governor of Washington, Isaac Stevens, but the treaties he signed in 1855 and 1863 were contentious and sparked internal conflict among the Nez Perce. By 1868, disillusioned by the repeated violations of treaties, Lawyer traveled to Washington, D.C., to voice his grievances. He passed away in 1876, one year prior to the significant Long March led by Chief Joseph the Younger, which sought to resist further encroachments on Nez Perce land.
Lawyer (tribal leader)
- Born: c. 1795
- Birthplace: Unknown
- Died: January 3, 1876
- Place of death: Unknown
Category: Tribal leader
Tribal affiliation: Nez Perce, Flathead
Significance: Negotiated Nez Perce land rights with the U.S. government
Lawyer negotiated treaties in the name of the Nez Perce that were repudiated by Chief Joseph the Younger before his Long March in 1877. Chief Joseph gave Lawyer that name because (as Joseph noted in a speech to Congress in 1879) “he talked too much” and gave away land that did not belong to him.
Lawyer was a son of Twisted Hair, a Nez Perce chief who had greeted Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and his Flathead wife. Lawyer often worked as a guide and interpreter for missionaries and traders, and became well-known for his oratorical skill in both the English and Nez Perce languages.
Lawyer was designated as a representative of all the Nez Perces by Washington territorial governor Isaac Stevens at a treaty council in 1855. The outcome of that council was bitterly protested by Old Joseph, his son Joseph the Younger, and other antitreaty Nez Perces. During the ensuing Yakima War of 1855-1856, Lawyer’s band protected Stevens from attack by warriors seeking revenge for the death of Peopeomoxmox. In 1863, Lawyer signed another treaty and ceded even more land that Old Joseph insisted was not his to give. By 1868, Lawyer himself was upset at the number of treaties that had been broken, and he traveled to Washington, D.C., to protest. He died in 1876, one year before the Long March of the antitreaty Nez Perces under Chief Joseph the Younger.