Charles Curtis
A Kaw citizen who rose from the Kansas Territory to become the first person of Native American descent to serve as U.S. Vice President.
1860–1936 (age 76)·Vice President of the United States from 1929 to 1933·Birthday: January 25·The Gilded Age
Biography
Charles Curtis's life was a journey across the shifting landscape of American identity. Born in 1860 in what was then the Kansas Territory, he spent his early years on the Kaw reservation with his maternal grandmother, speaking the Kansa language before entering the world of White settlement. This dual heritage defined his political path. He built a formidable career in Congress, known less for fiery oratory than for pragmatic deal-making and an encyclopedic knowledge of Senate procedure. As Senate Majority Leader, he was a master of the backroom compromise. His 1928 election as Vice President under Herbert Hoover was a historic milestone, yet his term coincided with the devastating onset of the Great Depression. Curtis's legacy is complex, marked by his personal success within a system that often sought to assimilate or erase Indigenous cultures, and by his support for policies like the Dawes Act that had catastrophic effects on tribal landholdings.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Charles was born in 1860, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1860
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1860Born
1865Started school
President: Andrew Johnson
1873Became a teenager
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1876Could drive
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Could vote
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1881Turned 21
President: Chester A. Arthur
1890Turned 30
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1900Turned 40
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1910Turned 50
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 60
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 70
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1936Died at 76
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
Key Achievements
- Served as the 31st Vice President of the United States under President Herbert Hoover.
- Became the first person of Native American descent and the first multiracial individual to hold the office of Vice President.
- Served as Senate Majority Leader from 1924 to 1929, wielding significant legislative influence.
- Was the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to serve in either house of the U.S. Congress.
Did You Know?
His Kaw name was 'Indian Heart.'
He was a successful jockey in his youth before becoming a lawyer.
Curtis often referenced his Native heritage in campaigns, using the slogan 'From Kaw Teepee to Capitol.'
He is the last Vice President to have worn facial hair while in office.
“I am one-eighth Kaw Indian, and I have spent my life in the public service.”
