CHEYENNE-ARAPAHO W. RICHARD WEST, JR. BORN–FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
Born in San Bernardino, California, West grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Son of artist Walter Richard West Sr., he earned a B.A. (American History), Univ. of Redlands (1965); M.A. (American History), Harvard (1968); and J.D., Stanford (1971) & was Law Review editor. His law career included: Partner, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (Wash., D.C.); Partner, Gover, Stetson, Williams & West, P.C. (Albuquerque); and general counsel for several tribes. A citizen of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and a Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne, in 1990, West became founding director, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) serving in that post until 2007. After NMAI, he served as: Vice President, International Council of Museums (2007-10); and President & CEO, Autry National Center (2012-2021). In 2012, the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums (ATALM) honored West with a Guardians of Culture and Lifeways International Award.
Source: "W. Richard West Jr. biography," National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2/18/2021, Wayback Machine (archive.org) Wikipedia Photo: Public Domain.
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