JANUARY 24, 1932

ARAPAHO EPISCOPAL PRIEST DOA-CHE-WA-A (SHERMAN COOLIDGE) DIED—FOUNDER, SOCIETY OF AMERICAN INDIANS (SAI)

Born February 22, 1862, near current-Sheridan, Wyoming (WY), Coolidge’s name meant “He-Runs-on-Top.” Given away by his mother to save him from the Shoshone, Sherman was adopted by an infantry officer. Educated at Shattuck-Saint Mary’s, in Faribault, Minnesota (1877-80) and Seabury Divinity School in Evanston, Illinois, he was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1885. Returning to WY in 1884, he was reunited with his mother. Along with serving the Arapaho & Shoshone in WY, he ministered in Oklahoma; Faribault; and Denver. In 1911, he & Dr. Charles Eastman founded SAI, the first Pan-Indian advocacy organization. In 1923, Coolidge helped found the American Indian Defense Association (AIDA). AIDA’s lobbying efforts led the Secretary of the Interior to form the “Advisory Council on Indian Affairs” (later the “Committee of One Hundred”) to advise on Indian policy. The Committee’s 1928 Meriam Report led to the Roosevelt Administration’s “Indian New Deal.” Coolidge died in Los Angeles, California.

Sources:

Thadeusz Lewandowski, “Sherman Coolidge: Arapaho Priest in a Changing World,” WyoHistory.org, 6/21/2020.  Retrieved 8/13/2022, Sherman Coolidge: Arapaho Priest in a Changing World | WyoHistory.org

Wikipedia 

Photo:  De Lancey W. Gill (d. 1940), 3/1902. Public Domain.