Wilma Mankiller

(November 18, 1945 – April 6, 2010) Wilma Mankiller worked for several years as a leading advocate for the Cherokee people. Wilma Mankiller ran for deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1983 and won, subsequently serving in that position for two years. Then, in 1985, she was named the tribe's principal chief—making history as the first woman to serve as principal chief of the Cherokee people.