[Geo. W. Burris to the Chickasaw People]

Campaign Flyer, c. 1939, reproduction
George W. Burris Collection 
Oklahoma Historical Society 

Like many of his schoolmates, George W. Burris had a longstanding interest in Chickasaw politics. As a young man in the Allotment Era, he took a hard Democratic line on the rights of Chickasaw freedmen, viewing their land claims as a Republican plot to gain votes in Indian Territory and punish the Chickasaws for supporting the rebellion in the Civil War. Near the end of his life during the New Deal, he unsuccessfully ran for tribal governor, promising diligent pursuit of federal claims and responsible and transparent stewardship of Chickasaw interests.