Charles Curtis

Charles Curtis

Early Life

 Born Jan 25, 1860 in a log cabin in Kansas Territory as a member of the Kaw tribe

 Mother, Ellen Pappan Curtis, died when he was 3

 Father, Oren A. Curtis, abandoned him to fight in the Civil War

 Was sent to live with his paternal grand parents, William and Permelia Curtis in 1863

Permelia instilled strong Methodist and republican values into Charles

 1866 went back to Kaw reservation to live with his maternal grandparents

 Became one of Kansas’ best jockeys at a young age

Urban legend has it in one race in Ellsworth, Kansas, three riders stole the purse money that had been for the best rider, only Charley was more concerned about the horses and got them into the nearest barn. It was said that the riders were Jesse James and his brother Frank, but the riders were never fully identified.

 Dropped out of high school after 3 years

 1881, at age 21, Curtis passed the Kansas bar to study law

Early Political Life

 Won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1892 and he took the seat in 1893.

 Was in Kansas’ 4th district until 1899

 This is where the Curtis Act came to life

 Was in the Kansas 1st district from 1899-1907

 Was considered a leader, but a “backroom leader” (not out spoken)

 1907, becomes a Senator

o From 1907-1913

o Then again from 1915-1929

Platforms

 Believed in woman’s suffrage

 Anti- Child Labor

 Anti- Narcotic

 Making Indians American citizens

 Prohibition

 Gold Standard

 Popular with the Kansas constituents

Curtis Act

 1898 also known as “An act for the protection of the people of the Indian Territory, and for other purposes.”

 Meant for the allotment process in the lands of the 5 Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma

 Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole

-It was an amendment to the Dawes Act

-The Dawes Act authorized the President of the United States to have Native American tribal lands surveyed and divided into allotments for individual Native American families.

-However, when it finally passed through, it was a completely different Act than what Curtis had envisioned.

Indian Policy

- As a member of Congress, Charles played a central role in shaping U.S. Indian policy in the early twentieth century. Mirroring the attitudes of others, he sought to protect “full bloods” while encouraging corporate enterprise on reservations on terms favorable to whites.

- Believed