Allen Wright, Principal chief of the Choctaw Nation (1866-1870); proposed the name "Oklahoma", from Choctaw words okra and umma, meaning "Territory of the Red People." (b. 1826)
Allen Wright (Choctaw: Kiliahote) (born November 1826 – December 2, 1885) was Principal Chief of the Choctaw Republic from late 1866 to 1870. He had been ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1852 after graduating from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He was very active in the Choctaw government, holding several elected positions. He has been credited with the name Oklahoma (Choctaw word meaning "Home of the Red Man" in English) for the land that would become the state.After serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, Wright was elected as Principal Chief, serving from 1866 to 1870. He was among the signatories of the Reconstruction Treaty of 1866 to re-establish peace with the United States. Wright served as superintendent of schools for the Choctaw Nation from 1880 to 1884.
1885Dec, 2
Allen Wright
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Events on 1885
- 24Apr
Buffalo Bill's Wild West
American sharpshooter Annie Oakley is hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West. - 2May
Léopold II of Belgium
The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium. - 3Jun
Big Bear
In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police. - 6Jul
Rabies
Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog. - 29Aug
Internal combustion
Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first internal combustion motorcycle, the Reitwagen.