William W. Hastings
Encyclopedia
William Wirt Hastings was a U.S. Representative
from Oklahoma
.
Born on a farm in Benton County, Arkansas
, near the Indian Territory boundary, Hastings moved with his parents to a farm at Beatties Prairie, Delaware County (then part of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory), Oklahoma, and attended the Cherokee tribal school.
He graduated from Cherokee Male Seminary
, at Tahlequah, in 1884.
He was a teacher in the Cherokee tribal schools 1884-1886 and 1889-1891.
He graduated from the law department of Vanderbilt University
, Nashville, Tennessee
, in 1889.
He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
.
Attorney general for the Cherokee Nation 1891-1895.
National attorney for the Cherokee tribe 1907-1914.
He served as delegate to the Democratic State convention in 1912.
He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1912.
Hastings was elected as a Democrat
to the Sixty-fourth, Sixty-fifth, and Sixty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1915-March 3, 1921).
He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Interior (Sixty-fifth Congress).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920 to the Sixty-seventh Congress, losing to Republican Alice Mary Robertson
. This was the first time in history that an incumbent U.S. Congressman was defeated by a female candidate.
Hastings was elected to the Sixty-eighth and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923-January 3, 1935).
He was not a candidate for renomination in 1934.
He resumed practicing law in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
.
Commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 22, 1936, as chief of the Cherokees for one day to sign certain papers.
He died April 8, 1938, in Muskogee, Oklahoma
.
He was interred in City Cemetery, Tahlequah, Oklahoma
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Born on a farm in Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 153,406. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 population is 221,339. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S...
, near the Indian Territory boundary, Hastings moved with his parents to a farm at Beatties Prairie, Delaware County (then part of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory), Oklahoma, and attended the Cherokee tribal school.
He graduated from Cherokee Male Seminary
Cherokee Male Seminary
The Cherokee Male Seminary was a tribal college, established by the Cherokee Nation, and one of first institutions of higher learning established west of the Mississippi River.-Creation:...
, at Tahlequah, in 1884.
He was a teacher in the Cherokee tribal schools 1884-1886 and 1889-1891.
He graduated from the law department of Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, in 1889.
He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
.
Attorney general for the Cherokee Nation 1891-1895.
National attorney for the Cherokee tribe 1907-1914.
He served as delegate to the Democratic State convention in 1912.
He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1912.
Hastings was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Sixty-fourth, Sixty-fifth, and Sixty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1915-March 3, 1921).
He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Interior (Sixty-fifth Congress).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920 to the Sixty-seventh Congress, losing to Republican Alice Mary Robertson
Alice Mary Robertson
Alice Mary Robertson was an American educator, social worker, government official, and politician who became the second woman to serve in the United States Congress, and the first from the state of Oklahoma. Robertson was the first woman to defeat an incumbent congressman...
. This was the first time in history that an incumbent U.S. Congressman was defeated by a female candidate.
Hastings was elected to the Sixty-eighth and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923-January 3, 1935).
He was not a candidate for renomination in 1934.
He resumed practicing law in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
.
Commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 22, 1936, as chief of the Cherokees for one day to sign certain papers.
He died April 8, 1938, in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
.
He was interred in City Cemetery, Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
.