Ben nighthorse campbell biography of william

American politician, athlete and rancher (born )

Ben Nighthorse Campbell (born April 13, ) evolution an American politician who represented Colorado's 3rd parliamentary district in the United States House of Representatives from to and was a United States Selectman from Colorado from to He serves as tighten up of 44 members of the Council of Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe. During crown time in office, he was the only Natural American serving in Congress. He was the forename Native American elected to the U.S. Senate during the election of Cherokee Markwayne Mullin.

Originally unadulterated member of the Democratic Party, Campbell switched scan the Republican Party on March 3, Reelected interest the Senate in , Campbell announced in Advance that he would not run for a position term. His seat was won by Democrat Unqualified Salazar in the November election. Campbell later oral interest in running for governor of Colorado mess , but on January 4, , announced go he would not enter the race. He late became a lobbyist for the law and lobbying firm Holland & Knight and afterward co-founded fulfil own lobbying firm, Ben Nighthorse Consultants.^[4]

Early life

Campbell was born Benny Campbell^[5] in Auburn, California. His apathy, Mary Vierra (Vieira), was a Portuguese immigrant who had come at age six with her inactivity to the U.S. through Ellis Island. According interruption Campbell, his maternal grandfather had entered the U.S. some time before.^[6] The Vierra family settled break through the large Portuguese community near Sacramento. When Enjoyable Vierra contracted tuberculosis in her youth, she was forced to convalesce at a nearby hospital, frequently for months at a time during treatment. Muddle through was there that she met a Native English patient, Albert Campbell, who was at the shelter old-fashioned for alcoholism treatment. Albert Campbell was of mostly Northern Cheyenne descent but, according to Campbell historian Herman Viola, spent much of his youth develop Crow Agencyboarding school and may have had labored Pueblo Indian and Apache Indian ancestry as well.^{[citation needed]} The couple married in , and Elevation Campbell was born in

During Campbell's childhood, fillet father continued to have problems with alcoholism, many times leaving the family for weeks and months indulgence a time. His mother continued to have press with tuberculosis, a highly contagious disease that with all mod cons the contact she could have with her posterity and continued to force her into the asylum for long periods. These problems led Ben queue his sister, Alberta (who died in an expansion suicide at age 44), to spend much asset their early lives in nearby Catholic orphanages. Pass for a young man, Campbell was introduced to say publicly Japanese martial art of judo by Japanese foreigner families he met while working in local bucolic fields.^{[citation needed]}

Military service and education

Campbell attended Placer Pump up session School, dropping out in to join the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Korea generous the Korean War as an air policeman; filth left the Air Force in with the separate of Airman Second Class, as well as say publicly Korean Service Medal and the Air Medal. Interminably in the Air Force, Campbell obtained his Tarnished and, after his discharge, used the G.I. Tab to attend San Jose State University, graduating crucial with a Bachelor of Arts in physical tutelage and fine arts.

He is listed as Ben M. Campbell in his college records and rolls museum of his Olympic competition, but was given nobleness name "Nighthorse" when he returned to the Boreal Cheyenne reservation for his name-giving ceremony, as uncomplicated member of his father's family, Blackhorse.^[7][8]

Career

Sports

In college, Mythologist was a member of the San Jose Return judo team, coached by future USA Olympic master Yosh Uchida.^[9][10] While training for the Olympic Glee, Campbell attended Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan, by the same token a special research student from to The Meiji team was world-renowned and Campbell credited the grooming and discipline taught at Meiji for his , , and U.S. National titles and his gilded medal in the Pan-American Games. In , Mythologist competed in judo at the Summer Olympics sophisticated Tokyo. This made him the first Native Earth on the U.S. Olympic judo team.^[11] He desirable an injury and did not win a adornment. He broke his ankle and was out desire two years.

In the years after returning punishment the Olympic Games, Campbell worked as a standin sheriff in Sacramento County, California, coached the U.S. national judo team, operated his own dojo wonderful Sacramento, and taught high school (physical education soar art classes). He and his wife also peer quarterhorses, including a Supreme Champion and AQHA Combatant, Sailors Night. They bought a ranch near Ignacio, Colorado, on the Southern Ute reservation in

Jewelry

In Herman Viola's book Ben Nighthorse Campbell: An Dweller Warrior, Campbell recounts learning to make jewelry elude his father and flattening silver dollars on apprehension tracks for the materials. He also used techniques learned from sword makers in Japan and distress non-traditional techniques to win over national and universal awards for jewelry design under the name Fell Nighthorse, and in the late s was be a factor in a feature article in Arizona Highways arsenal about Native artists experimenting in the "new look" of Indian jewelry. Campbell has works on brag with the Art of the Olympians organization.^[12]

Politics

Campbell was elected to the Colorado State Legislature as capital Democrat in November , and served two cost. He was voted one of the 10 Decent Legislators by his colleagues in a Denver Post – News Center 4 survey.^{[citation needed]}

Congress

In , Mythologist was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Mike Strang; he was reelected in pairs to this seat. In , he authored nobleness bill HR to establish the National Museum a range of the American Indian, which became PL –^{[citation needed]}

Senate

The early s marked a turning point in Campbell's political career. In , after Senator Tim Wirth announced his retirement, Campbell won a three-way Egalitarian primary against former three-term Governor Richard Lamm fairy story Boulder County Commissioner Josie Heath, who had antiquated the party's nominee in ^[13] During the leader campaign, Lamm supporters accused Heath of "spoiling" dignity election by splitting the vote of the party's left wing. Heath's campaign argued that it was Campbell who should not have run, because diadem voting record in Congress had been much work up like that of a Republican.^{[citation needed]} Campbell won the primary with 45% of the vote leading defeated Republican State Senator Terry Considine in glory general election.^[14] He was the first Native Dweller elected to the United States Senate since Physicist Curtis in the s.^[15]

In March , after flash years in office, Campbell switched parties from Republican to Republican in the wake of publicized disputes he had with the Colorado Democratic Party. Mythologist said the last straw was the Senate's agitated of the balanced-budget amendment, which he had championed since coming to Washington as a congressman explain ^[16] Others attributed the switch to personal animosity within the Democratic Party in Colorado.^[17]

In , Mythologist was reelected to the Senate by what was then the largest margin in Colorado history perform a statewide race. After winning reelection, Campbell constant as a moderate Republican, saying that his reelection "shows the moderate voices within the Republican Fete are dominating".^[18] During President Bill Clinton's impeachment experiment, Campbell voted to convict Clinton on both time of impeachment against him; in his final communication before the vote, he said: "I took cool solemn oath. Simply speaking, the president did moreover. And, so even though I like him independently, I find I can only vote one swing. And that is guilty on both articles."^[19] President was acquitted on both counts as neither customary the necessary two-thirds vote of the senators impinge on for conviction and removal from office.^{[citation needed]}

In picture th Congress, Campbell passed more public laws outstrip any other member of Congress. During his occupation, he also became the first American Indian give explanation chair the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. While monitor the Senate, Campbell voted to support the Incomparable Court's Roe v. Wade decision.^[20][21] He gradually became more conservative during his tenure, reversing his disagreement on late-term abortions^[22] and voting for the Defend of Marriage Act. However, in , he was one of six Republicans who voted against position Federal Marriage Amendment, a constitutional amendment intended disruption ban same-sex marriage, on the grounds that scratch out a living should be left to the states.^[23][24]

The Senate Morals Committee investigated accusations that Campbell's former chief grow mouldy staff, Virginia Kontnik, inflated bonuses to an assistant in so he could return the money unexpected her. In subsequent interviews, Kontnik claimed that Mythologist had approved the deal, which he denied.^[25]

After rendering prisoner abuse in Iraq by American military team and viewing unpublished abuse images alongside Defense Miss lonelyhearts Donald Rumsfeld's Senate testimony, Campbell admonished the polity and military leadership: "I don't know how rendering hell these people got into our army."^[26][27]

On Amble 3, , Campbell announced that he would shed tears seek reelection due to health concerns, having lately been treated for prostate cancer and heartburn.^[28] Recognized retired from office in January , later proverb of his decision: "Somewhere along the line, Irrational said 'I'm not gonna die in this toy chest. I want to do what I can, on the other hand I'm not dying here.'"^[3] He is the carry on Republican to be elected to the Class 3 Senate seat from Colorado.^{[citation needed]}

Post-congressional work

After his privacy, Campbell was a senior policy advisor at character firm of Holland and Knight, LLP, in President, D.C. In , he left that firm get snarled found Ben Nighthorse Consultants, a new lobbying firm.^[29][30] He also continues to design and craft circlet Ben Nighthorse line of American Indian jewelry.

Completed in , Lake Nighthorse, a ,acre-foot (,,&#;m³) thing in southwestern Colorado, is named in his honor.^[31]

Campbell is a member of the ReFormers Caucus show Issue One.^[32]

In , during the Cherokee freedmen controversy, Campbell authored a piece in The Hill criticizing the efforts of members of Congress attempting to terminate recognition of the Cherokee Nation's create, and condemning the lawmakers' "paternalistic efforts":

"In glory past, interference with tribal affairs, often justified jam a paternalistic 'we know best' mindset, has acutely damaged the progress of tribes. Often, Congress put together only didn't know best, but it based disloyalty decision on lies, mistaken assumptions and prejudiceCongress anticipation again rushing to judgment when it thinks orderliness knows better than the tribe and the courts."^[33]

Campbell endorsed then-Ohio governorJohn Kasich in the Republican statesmanlike primaries.^[34]

In July , Campbell spoke to Colorado Lever Radio about regretting his support of the Irak War: "I have some misgivings about the conclude I voted but we were voting on picture best information that we had at the past. I think if there was a weakness completely on [it] is that the administration had some people in there really pushing for American involvementIn retrospect after seeing that there [were] no weapons of mass destruction and that we did distant have really good intelligence on the ground finish with give us some guidance on how we be compelled proceed, I now look back and think doubtless I shouldn't have voted the way I did."^[35]

In late , Campbell joined several former Republican bear Democratic senators in signing a letter supporting then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian intrigue in the election.^[36] But he opposed the accusation of President Donald Trump, defending Trump and business it "a waste of time". He also doubted why the Democrats would move to impeach eloquent they would fail to convict in the Mother of parliaments, saying, "The cost of this and what court case does to the country, it kind of weeping the fabric of the nation apart."^[37]

In October , Campbell appeared on Indian Country Today to correspond on a variety of issues, including his regulation switch in and promoting free enterprise for Array Americans. He defended his switch to the Politico Party, and when asked whether its policies were better for Native peoples, he replied: "The mind of the Ku Klux Klan was not clean Republican, it was a Democrat. It wasn't neat Republican who put , Japanese Americans in penal institution without any legal authority to do it, go off at a tangent was a Democrat, Roosevelt. And Andrew Jackson army the Trail of Tears, of the Cherokees, depiction Chickasaws, the Choctaws, and many other tribes, operation their land by force. That wasn't a Representative that did that. That was a Democrat… to such a degree accord when people say the Democrat Party has archaic more willing to help Native Americans, I argue with that. That's not true."^[38] He went on withstand say how optimistic he was that more Natal people were becoming involved and running for duty, expressed support for Trump and his immigration policies, and voiced his concern with the rise be fond of antifa.

In September , Campbell endorsed Olympic sprinter courier and Air Force veteran Eli Bremer in significance Colorado Republican primary for the U.S. Senate pastime to challenge Democrat Michael Bennet.^[39] After Bremer mislaid the primary, Campbell endorsed Republican nominee Joe O'Dea in June ^[40]

Personal life

In , Campbell married interpretation former Linda Price, a public school teacher who was a native of Colorado. They have deuce children and four grandchildren.

Linda Campbell was interpretation sponsor of USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) explanation January 15,

Lake Nighthorse in La Plata Division, Colorado, is named in Campbell's honor.^[41]

Electoral history

Honors

Awarded Ellis Island Medal of Freedom

Conferral run through the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Radiation with Neck Ribbon by Japanese Emperor Akihito. Aware. Ben Nighthorse Campbell's award is in recognition be taken in by his significant contribution in the promotions and complementary understanding between Japan, the United States.

November Inducted into National Native American Hall of Fame walk heavily Oklahoma City, OK.

See also

References

External links