Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin

Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin (December 14, 1863 – May 17, 1952), was a Turtle Mountain Ojibwe attorney, Native American rights activist, and suffragist. In 1914, Baldwin was the first Native American student to graduate from the Washington College of Law. She worked in the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, and was an officer in the Society of American Indians.

Family and education Baldwin's paternal grandfather was the Ojibwe (Chippewa)-French-Canadian explorer Pierre Bottineau. Her paternal grandmother was Pierre's first wife, Genevieve "Jennie" LaRence. Her father, Jean Baptiste Bottineau, was the second of Pierre and Jennie's nine children. Her mother was Marie Renville Bottineau.

Marie Bottineau was born December 14, 1863, on Ojibwe land, which would later become part of North Dakota. She had one sister named Lillian and another sister who died in infancy named Alvina Clementa. She was proud of her mixed heritage and, as an adult, considered herself a "French Indian" or a "French Chippewa." Later in life, in 1912, she would enroll at the Washington College of Law, where she completed a three-year course of study in just two years. She was the first Native American and the first woman of color to earn a degree from the college.

At age 24, Marie Bottineau married a white businessman named Fred S. Baldwin but the marriage only lasted a couple of years.

Native American advocacy Bottineau Baldwin dedicated much of her life's work to Native American advocacy. In the 1890s, she moved to Washington, D.C., with her father to defend the territorial rights of the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe against the Federal government. She was one of only two Native people employed in the Washington office at the time. Bottineau Baldwin would work for the OIA until she retired in 1932. In 1915, Bottineau Baldwin was elected treasurer of the SAI, but soon thereafter she began to feel marginalized and attacked by other leaders of the organization, including Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, who questioned the loyalty of Native employees of the federal Indian Service. The tensions within the SAI which cumulated in a series of conflicts and loss of friendships leading to Baldwin withdrawing from the organization and the national scene of Native activism in 1919.

After graduation, Bottineau Baldwin was an influential speaker for the Society of American Indians. Her topics were primarily how the identity of Native Americans progressed into modern times. As one of the few employed Native women working for Washington's federal government and as a lawyer, Bottineau Baldwin drew media attention. In 1913, she also marched in Washington D.C., as part of the national Woman Suffrage Procession. Rather than creating a float in mythical tribute to Native American women, as parade organizers suggested, she chose to march as a modern indigenous woman with fellow lawyers and suffragists. Bottineau Baldwin also attended the Lake Mohonk Conferences in 1909, 1910, and 1912 to represent the Office of Indian Affairs. Bottineau Baldwin prided herself in educating the public about indigenous heritage, including in relation to women's rights.

Public persona Bottineau Baldwin initially supported the assimilation of Native Americans into non-Native culture. However, she also heavily embraced her indigenous culture as part of her identity throughout her public engagements. Attending law school as the only female Native student, Bottineau Baldwin understood the importance of being understood and respected if she was to be able to be heard. As an attorney and employee for the Office of Indian Affairs, Bottineau Baldwin chose to submit a photo of herself in Native clothing instead of her usual modern apparel for her federal profile. She made a radical choice in indigenizing her federal record. Bottineau Baldwin actively rejected the notion of assimilation that the agency emphasized. The portrait encapsulates Baldwin as a woman asserting her indigenous identity while working for the federal government. Bottineau Baldwin's traditional Ojibwa attire helped convey a "modern Indian identity" as she made public appearances and worked with the Society of American Indians.

Bottineau Baldwin strategically promoted her political agenda while doing public appearances. She grabbed media attention because of "public fascination" with her cultural presence.