W. W. Keeler Politician
William Wayne Keeler (1908 - 1989) is best known as the last appointed and first elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee nation in the 20th Century. Educated as a chemical engineer, he worked for Phillips Petroleum Company, where he became Chief Executive Officer at the end of a long career with the company. He was one-sixteenth Cherokee, and throughout his life he also worked in the federal government for the advancement of Indians. President Truman appointed him as Principal Chief of the Oklahoma Cherokees in 1949.Keeler created tribal institutions such as the Cherokee Nation Builders Corporation and a national Cherokee newspaper. He helped establish the Cherokee Foundation and attain $14 million from the federal government over a land dispute. He drafted a new Cherokee constitution in 1975.
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Politician
| office | Chairman of Phillips Petroleum Corporation |
|---|---|
| successor |