Bill John Baker
Encyclopedia
Bill John Baker is a Cherokee Nation
councilperson, businessman, and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
.
. He is 1/32 Cherokee by blood. He graduated from Tahlequah High School. In 1972, he graduated from Northeastern State University
with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and History in Education.
Bill John Baker ran for deputy chief as a running mate of Joe Byrd
in 1999. In an extremely close race, Baker was defeated by Hasting Shade, with 3,579 votes to Shade's 3,533 votes. Previously, Baker supported Joe Byrd during the tumultuous political events of 1997, which included the closure of the Cherokee Nation Judicial Appeals Tribunal.
Bill John Baker owns Baker's Furniture and several rental properties in Tahlequah.
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
councilperson, businessman, and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Principal Chief is today the title of the chief executives of the Cherokee Nation, of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the three federally recognized tribes of Cherokee. In the eighteenth century, when the people were organized by clans and...
.
Background
Bill John Baker was born in Cherokee County, OklahomaCherokee County, Oklahoma
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 42,521. Its county seat is Tahlequah.Cherokee County was established in 1907.-Geography:...
. He is 1/32 Cherokee by blood. He graduated from Tahlequah High School. In 1972, he graduated from Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University is a public university with its main campus located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, United States, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. Northeastern's home, Tahlequah, is also the capital of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma...
with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and History in Education.
Politics
Currently, Bill John Baker ran for Cherokee Nation principal chief against incumbent Chad Smith. Because the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court could not determine the outcome of the general election with mathematical certainty, a second election was set for Sept. 24, 2011. Baker won the special election.Bill John Baker ran for deputy chief as a running mate of Joe Byrd
Joe Byrd (Cherokee Chief)
Joe Byrd was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1995 to 1999. Byrd is bilingual, with an ability to communicate in both Cherokee and English. He ran for re-election in 1999, but lost to Chad Smith. He ran again in 2003, but again lost to the incumbent Smith.-Biography:Byrd was born...
in 1999. In an extremely close race, Baker was defeated by Hasting Shade, with 3,579 votes to Shade's 3,533 votes. Previously, Baker supported Joe Byrd during the tumultuous political events of 1997, which included the closure of the Cherokee Nation Judicial Appeals Tribunal.
Personal
Baker married Susan Elizabeth "Beth" Hulcher on August 1, 1977. The couple had three daughters and two sons. She died on April 28, 1995. He married Sherry Jean Robertson-Baker, and the couple live in Tahlequah. He is a member of the Baptist Church.Bill John Baker owns Baker's Furniture and several rental properties in Tahlequah.