Prince George’s County Public Schools • www.pgcps.org
January 2005
HISTORY CLIPS
JANUARY
Source: www.vpcharlescurtis.net/ksstudies/overview.html
Know your past and present - understand your future
Charles Curtis of Kansas
The Charles Curtis House
in the City of Topeka
Charles Curtis, was born January 25, 1860, in Eugene (now known as
North Topeka), US Kansas Territory (his mother was a quarter-blood
Kansa/Osage Indian so he was one-eighth each of Kansa Indian, of Osage
Indian, of Potawatomie Indian, including 1/8th French) who was the 31st VICEPRESIDENT of the United States (1929-1933), President Herbert Hoover.
Charles Curtis was half American-English, and he was one-eighth each
of Kansa Indian, of Osage Indian, of Potawatomie Indian, including 1/8th
French, but he never forgot his Indian heritage. He was the head of, or was
on every Indian committee in Congress. His nicknames were "Indian", "Chief",
"Egghead", "Square Shooter", "The Whisperer", and "Charley" but he didn't
mind. If he was asked about it, he would tell
you that he was one-eighth Indian, but 100%
Republican. At the time, he thought he himself was only 1/8th Indian, but with
further genealogy studies, that statement was really incorrect, as shown his
heritage above. He could speak French, English, and Kansa Indian. On his
daughters birth certificates, both obtained from the Kansas Vital Statistics, he
is stated as "white".
After studying law with a Topeka attorney, Charles Curtis was admitted to the
bar in 1881. From 1885 to 1889. he was attorney for Shawnee county, Topeka,
Kansas. A conservative Republican lawyer from Kansas, Charles Curtis was
elected (1893-1907) to the U.S. House of Representatives.
In January 1907, Curtis was chosen by the State Legislature to fill an unexpired
term in the U. S Senate. He was then elected for the 1907-1913 term. After
being defeated for reelection in 1912, he won the nomination from Senator
Joseph L. Bristow in 1914 and was elected to three more terms.
Some of his major concerns in government were, Indian rights, farmer's rights, and women's rights. His own
quotes on these are in his political acceptance speech for Vice-President, for more information, read more about
this under Politics.
In 1924, Charles Curtis tried a run for the Presidency, but did not make it because a Kansas representative,
Minnie Grinstead was asked to vote against him and when he lost she would receive the Vice-President nomination, but the Vice-Presidency would be in name only for her.
In 1928, Herbert Clark Hoover, the Republican presidential candidate, chose Charles Curtis as his vice
presidential running mate. Charles Curtis had actually wanted be THE President but the rest of the nominating
committee didn't agree (he actually was on the first ballot for the presidency but did not have enough ballots),
so he agreed to run as the Vice-President instead for Herbert Hoover.
They won overwhelmingly, but four years later, (after the start of the great Depression of 1929) the same team
was badly defeated by the Democratic candidates, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John Nance Garner.
Because Herbert Hoover and Charles Curtis happened to be the President and Vice-President at the beginning
and continuing Great Depression, the people felt that the President and Vice-President had caused it so the
people voted for another Presidential team.
Charles Curtis died of a heart attack, in the morning, alone, at his home, in Washington D.C. on Feb. 8,
1936.
BOARD OF EDUCATION: Beatrice P. Tignor, Ed.D., Chair • Howard W. Stone, Jr., Vice Chair • John R. (Jack) Bailer • Abby L. W. Crowley, Ed.D. • Charlene M. Dukes, Ed.D. • Robert O. Duncan
Judy G. Mickens-Murray • José R. Morales • Dean Sirjue • Morgan A. Shepard, Student Member • André J. Hornsby, Ed.D., Secretary/Treasurer and Chief Executive Officer
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