'Alfred B. Meacham' (1826–1882) was an American
reformer and
historian who served as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the state of
Oregon.
Meacham was born in
Indiana, where his family had moved from
North Carolina because of their objection to
slavery. He traveled to
California during the
1849 gold rush and then settled in northeast Oregon near the future
Umatilla Indian Reservation in
Meacham, Oregon.
Meacham became a prominent figure in Oregon politics and supported
Ulysses Simpson Grant in the presidential election of 1868. Appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon, Meacham was instrumental in persuading the
Modoc tribe to relocate to the
Klamath Reservation. Although severely injured while negotiating peace terms during the
Modoc War of 1872–73, Meacham organized a lecture tour for Modoc and
Klamath tribal representatives to inform the public of problems relating to Indian relocation. In 1874, Meacham and delegation members spoke before a group organized by social activist and reformer
Wendell Phillips. In 1875, the delegation addressed
Alfred Henry Love's
Universal Peace Union in
Philadelphia and a meeting of
Peter Cooper's U.S. Indian Commission in
New York City. In 1879, Meacham brought
Chief Joseph and other
Nez Perce to
Washington, D. C., to speak to government officials. During the administration of
Rutherford B. Hayes, Meacham served on a 1980 commission with
George Manypenny and
Otto Mears. The commission was charged with overseeing the relocation of the Colorado
Ute tribe, led by
Ouray, to a new reservation in Utah.
In addition to public speaking, Meacham publicized Native American issues by issuing a journal called "Council Fire," with
Thomas A. Bland, in 1878. He wrote two books dealing with Indian affairs. "Wigwam and Warpath," a history of the Modoc War, was published in 1875 and "Wi-ne-ma" (The Woman-Chief) was published in 1876.
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