Dennis Bushyhead

Dennis Wolf Bushyhead (; March 18, 1826 – February 4, 1898 ) was a leader in the Cherokee Nation after they had removed to Indian Territory. Born into the Wolf Clan, he was elected as Principal Chief, serving two terms, from 1879 to 1887.

Biography Dennis Wolf Bushyhead was born on Mouse Creek near present-day Cleveland, Tennessee, in the eastern part of the state. His mother, Eliza ( Wilkinson; transcribed as Wilkerson by some of her descendants), of the Wolf Clan,

In October 1844 Bushyhead started work as a clerk for Lewis Ross, brother of Chief John Ross, serving until the summer of 1847. He was elected as clerk for the Cherokee Senate in October 1847, serving for one year. He also dealt with issues of railroad rights-of-way, land allotment under the Dawes Act, education, white intruders, tribal citizenship, and grazing rights. He was succeeded by Joel B. Mayes as Principal Chief in 1887.

Family life On September 6, 1869, Bushyhead married a widow, Elizabeth Alabama Adair (née Schrimsher), from Fort Gibson. They had four children together: Jesse Crary (1870–1942), Mary Elizabeth (1873–1930), Sarah Catherine (1876–1908), and Dennis Bushyhead, Jr. (1880–1961). Elizabeth Bushyhead died on October 30, 1882.

On October 31, 1883, Bushyhead married Eloise Perry Butler (1859–1940), a niece of a U.S. Senator.

Death Dennis Bushyhead died February 4, 1898, in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation, and was buried in the Tahlequah City Cemetery.

Legacy and honors Bushyhead, Oklahoma, was named after the principal chief. It is a small rural community in Rogers County, Oklahoma.