JULY 21, 1855

MOHICAN/STOCKBRIDGE DIPLOMAT/LEADER JOHN WANNUACON QUINNEY DIED

Born in 1797 in Connecticut, John was nicknamed “The Dish.” Quinney, in 1822, traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to purchase land from the Menominee for his New York tribe members. In 1827, the Menominee, in settling a boundary dispute, sold land to the U.S. which included that which they had sold to the Stockbridge (including the Mohican). Quinney represented the Stockbridge and Munsee in attempting to settle the dispute. By 1832, the tribes had secured 2 townships on Lake Winnebago: Stockbridge, and Brothertown. Quinney drafted a constitution for the Stockbridge in 1837 which ended governance by heredity. For the next five years, he represented the tribe before Congress. In 1843, Congress made the tribe members U.S. citizens. Quinney died at Stockbridge, Wisconsin. In 1856, a treaty with the Menominee resolved matters with the Stockbridge & Munsee. He may have been the 1^st person to use the term “Native American.”.

Sources: 

“Quinney, John W. (1797-1855),” Wisconsin Historical Society.  Retrieved 10/20/2023, Quinney, John W. (1797-1855) | Wisconsin Historical Society (wisconsinhistory.org)

Wikipedia

Sketch:  Unknown author and date though probably before 1855.  Public Domain.