James McLaughlin (Indian agent)
Encyclopedia
US Indian Service Agent James McLaughlin (1842–1923), son of Felix and Mary Prince, was born and raised in Avonmore
, Ontario
, Canada
. He moved to St Paul, Minnesota in 1863 (age 21), where he met and married
his wife Marie Louise Buisson, a Mdewakanton
mixedblood, in 1864, and obtained his United States citizenship in 1865.
In 1871 he was hired as a blacksmith and general overseer at Fort Totten
, North Dakota
, but studied to become an Indian agent
. He was appointed agent of the Devils Lake Agency
in 1876. In 1881 he was promoted and transferred to the larger Standing Rock Sioux Agency
. A photograph of him and the Standing Rock delegation, including Sitting Bull, along with US Commissioners and other Sioux chiefs, was taken in Washington DC on 15 October 1888 to discuss Sioux implementation of the Dawes Act
which resulted in breaking up the reservation's lands into allotments in order to open the remaining land up for white settlement.
He is most known for ordering the arrest of Sitting Bull
on 15 December 1890, resulting in the latter's death the following morning, which then set the stage for the Army-Lakota confrontation on Pine Ridge
at Wounded Knee
two weeks later. He saw it as his purpose to make Native American Indians self-sufficient by encouraging them to become educated in the Western
sense and adopt white/Anglo-American traditions.
Indian agents were frequently given a military title commensurate with their civil service status. McLaughlin is referred to as both Major
in his early years and Colonel
after he became an Indian inspector for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
in 1895. In 1910 he published a memoir of his life entitled, My Friend the Indian. He died, never having retired, in Washington DC in 1923.
McLaughlin is buried on the South Dakota
side of the Standing Rock reservation in the town that bears his name
.
North Stormont, Ontario
North Stormont is a lower tier township in eastern Ontario, Canada in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. The township was incorporated on January 1, 1998 by amalgamating the former townships of Finch and Roxborough with the independent village of Finch.-Communities:The township...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He moved to St Paul, Minnesota in 1863 (age 21), where he met and married
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
his wife Marie Louise Buisson, a Mdewakanton
Mdewakanton
Mdewakantonwan are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti Dakota . Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota, which in the Dakota language was called mde wakan .As part of the Santee Sioux, their ancestors had migrated from the Southeast of the present-day United States, where the...
mixedblood, in 1864, and obtained his United States citizenship in 1865.
In 1871 he was hired as a blacksmith and general overseer at Fort Totten
Fort Totten, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 952 people, 230 households, and 200 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 124.2 people per square mile . There were 255 housing units at an average density of 33.3/sq mi . The racial makeup of the CDP was 0.84% White, 0.11% African...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, but studied to become an Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
. He was appointed agent of the Devils Lake Agency
Spirit Lake Tribe
The Spirit Lake Tribe is a Sioux tribe. Its reservation is located in east-central North Dakota on the southern shores of Devils Lake...
in 1876. In 1881 he was promoted and transferred to the larger Standing Rock Sioux Agency
Standing Rock Indian Reservation
The Standing Rock Indian Reservation is a Lakota, Yanktonai and Dakota Indian reservation in North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States...
. A photograph of him and the Standing Rock delegation, including Sitting Bull, along with US Commissioners and other Sioux chiefs, was taken in Washington DC on 15 October 1888 to discuss Sioux implementation of the Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
which resulted in breaking up the reservation's lands into allotments in order to open the remaining land up for white settlement.
He is most known for ordering the arrest of Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
on 15 December 1890, resulting in the latter's death the following morning, which then set the stage for the Army-Lakota confrontation on Pine Ridge
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
at Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M...
two weeks later. He saw it as his purpose to make Native American Indians self-sufficient by encouraging them to become educated in the Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
sense and adopt white/Anglo-American traditions.
Indian agents were frequently given a military title commensurate with their civil service status. McLaughlin is referred to as both Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in his early years and Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
after he became an Indian inspector for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
in 1895. In 1910 he published a memoir of his life entitled, My Friend the Indian. He died, never having retired, in Washington DC in 1923.
McLaughlin is buried on the South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
side of the Standing Rock reservation in the town that bears his name
McLaughlin, South Dakota
McLaughlin is a city in Corson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 663 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.-History:...
.