White Eyes

For other uses, see White Eyes (disambiguation).
White Eyes
Koquethagechton
Lenape leader
Preceded byNetawatwees (Newcomer)
Personal details
Bornc. 1730
Pennsylvania?
DiedNovember 1778
Spouse(s)Rachel Doddridge, d. 1788
RelationsSon was raised by his friend, George Morgan
ChildrenGeorge Morgan White Eyes (1770?–1798)
Known forNegotiated a Lenape state; peace emissary in Lord Dunmore's War; trader, tavern keeper; founded settlement near present day Coshocton, OH
NicknameGeorge White Eyes

White Eyes, named Koquethagechton (c. 1730 – 5 November 1778), was Chief Sachem[1] of the Lenape (Delaware) people in the Ohio Country during the era of the American Revolution. Sometimes known as George White Eyes, or Captain Grey Eyes al. Sir William, his given name in Lenape was rendered in many spelling variations in colonial records.[2]

By 1773 he was Speaker of the Delaware Head Council and known as one of the most important councilors.[2] White Eyes was a war chief and a tireless mediator in turbulent times, negotiating the first Indian treaties with the fledgling United States, and always working toward his ultimate goal of establishing a secure Indian territory. His assassination by an American militia officer is believed to have been covered up by United States officials.[2]

  1. ^ "White Eyes".
  2. ^ a b c Wellenreuther, Hermann. "The Succession of Head Chiefs and the Delaware Culture of Consent: The Delaware Nation, David Zeisberger, and Modern Ethnography", In A. G. Roeber, ed., Ethnographies and Exchanges: Native Americans, Moravians, and Catholics in Early America. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008. 31–48.