Bureau of Indian Affairs Officials

United States American Indian Research  Bureau of Indian AffairsOfficials

Government records, personal journals, diaries, letters of government officials may lead to information about a tribe, tribal leaders and interactions between the tribe and government officials, giving details known only to those assigned official responsibilities.

Records may be located in the National Archives and its centers, Presidential Libraries, University Libraries, Historical and Genealogical Societies. Records may also be located in Agency, Area Offices, or Superintendence’s offices.

Administrators of United States Federal Indian Policy 1789 to the Present

In 1784 the Congress of the Confederation placed the administration of Indian affairs within the War Department, with the Secretary of War directed to place armed militia at the disposal of the Indian Commissioners "for negotiating treaties with the Indians."

Secretaries of War Appointment President

Henry Knox 1789 George Washington Thomas Pickering 1795 George Washington James McHenry 1796 George Washington and John Adams Samuel Dexter 1800 John Adams Henry Dearborn 1801 Thomas Jefferson William Eustis 1809 James Madison [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Armstrong,_Jr. John Armstrong] 1813 James Madison James Monroe 1814 James Madison William H. Crawford 1815 James Madison and James Monroe John C. Calhoun 1817 James Monroe Thomas L. McKenney 1824-1830 (Head of BIA) James Monroe, John Q. Adams,and Andrew Jackson James Barbour 1825 John Quincy Adams Peter B. Porter 1828 John Quincy Adams John H. Eaton 1829 Andrew Jackson Samuel S. Hamilton 1830-31 (Head of BIA) Andrew Jackson Lewis Cass 1831 Andrew Jackson

Commissioner of Indian Affairs 1832 to Present

Elbert Herring 1832 Andrew Jackson Carey A. Harris 1836 Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren T. Hartley Crawford 1838  Martin Van Buren, William H.  Harrison, and John Tyler William Medill 1845  James K. Polk and  Zachary Taylor Orlando Brown 1849  Zachary Taylo rand Millard Filmore Luke Lea 1850 Millard Fillmore George W. Manypenny 1853 Franklin Pierce James W. Denver 1857 James Buchanan Charles E. Mix 1858 James Buchanan James W. Denver 1858 James Buchanan Alfred B. Greenwood 1859 James Buchanan William P. Dole 1861 Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson Dennis Cooley 1865 Andrew Johnson Lewis V. Bogy 1866 Andrew Johnson Nathaniel G. Taylor 1867 Andrew Johnson Eli S. Parker 1869 Ulysses S. Grant Francis A. Walker 1871 Ulysses S. Grant Edward P. Smith 1873 Ulysses S. Grant John Q. Smith 1875 Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes Ezra A. Hayt 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes R. E. Trowbridge 1880 Rutherford B. Hayes Hiram Price 1881 James Garfield and Chester A .Arthur John D. C. Atkins 1885 Grover Cleveland John H. Oberly 1888 Grover Cleveland Thomas J. Morgan 1889 Benjamin Harrison Daniel M. Browning 1893 Grover Cleveland William A. Jones 1897  William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt Francis E. Leupp 1904 Theodore Roosevelt Robert G. Valentine 1909 William Howard Taft (link Valentine Papers at Massachusetts Historical Society) Cato Sell 1913 Woodrow Wilson Charles H. Burke 1921 Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge Charles J. Rhoads 1929 Herbert Hoover John Collier 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt William A. Brophy 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S.Truman (link Brophy Papers Truman Library) John R. Nichols 1949 Harry S. Truman Dillon S. Myer 1950 Harry S. Truman (link to papers in Truman Library) Glenn L Emmons 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower Philleo Nash 1961 John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B.Johnson (lin to papers in Truman Library) Robert L. Bennett 1966 Lyndon B. Johnson Louis R. Bruce 1969 Richard M. Nixon Morris Thompson 1973 Richard M. Nixon Dr. Benjamin Reifel 1976 Gerald R. Ford

Assistant Secretaries

Forrest Gerald 1977 Gerald R. Ford and Jimmy Carter William E. Hallett 1979 Jimmy Carter Kenneth L. Smith 1981 Ronald Reagan Ross O. Simmer1985 George H. Bush Eddie Frank Brown 1989 George H. Bush Ada E. Deer 1993 Bill Clinton Kevin Gover 1997 Bill Clinton James H. McDivitt (acting) 2001 Bill Clinton and George W. Bush Neal A. McCaleb 2001 George W. Bush Aurene M. Martin (acting) 2003 George W. Bush Dave W. Anderson 2004 George W. Bush Jim Cason (acting) 2005 George W. Bush Carl J. Artman 2007 George W. Bush George T. Skibine (acting) 2008 George W. Bush and  Barack Obama Larry Echo Hawk 2009 Barack Obama Donald “Del” Laverdure 2012 Barack Obama Kevin K. Washburn 2012 Barack Obama

Reference
Federal Indian Policies, from the Colonial Period through the Early 1970’s. Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S.Department of the Interior. President Richard M. Nixon and Louis R. Bruce. C. 1970