Douglas H. Johnston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of the Chickasaw Nation | |
| In office September 1904 – June 28, 1939 | |
| Nominated by | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Palmer Mosely |
| Succeeded by | Floyd Maytubby |
| In office 1898–1902 | |
| Preceded by | Robert M. Harris |
| Succeeded by | Palmer Mosely |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Douglas Hancock Cooper Johnston October 16, 1856 Skullyville, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory |
| Died | June 28, 1939 (aged 82) Oklahoma City, U.S. |
| Nationality | Chickasaw |
| Relations | Te Ata Fisher (niece) Mary Alice Hearrell Murray (niece) |
| Signature |  |
Douglas Hancock Cooper Johnston (October 16, 1856 – June 28, 1939, Chickasaw), also known as "Douglas Henry Johnston", was a tribal leader who served as the last elected governor of the Chickasaw Nation from 1898 to 1902. He was re-elected in 1904.
The Dawes Act broke up much of the communal lands of the tribes. It changed how tribal lands were allocated and regulated in Indian Territory in order to allow statehood in 1907. Johnston was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 as governor of the Chickasaw tribe under federal authority. He served until his death in office in 1939.
In office, he was notable for ratifying the Atoka Agreement in 1897 which allotted communal tribal lands to individual households. In the 1920s he successfully sued the federal government in the US Court of Claims, to recover monies illegally obtained from tribal resources.
Prior to his election as governor, he had served as the superintendent of Bloomfield Academy, a Chickasaw girls' boarding school. From 1902 to 1904, he served in the Chickasaw Senate.
President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him as Governor of the Chickasaw after the Dawes Act changed how tribal lands were allocated and regulated in Indian Territory in an effort to push assimilation and prepare for statehood.