Billy Frank, Jr. (March 9, 1931 – May 5, 2014) was a Native American environmental leader and treaty rights activist born in 1931 to Willie and Angeline Frank. A Nisqually tribal member, Frank is known specifically for his grassroots campaign for fishing rights on the tribe's Nisqually River, located in Washington state in the 1960s and 1970s. He is also known for promoting cooperative management of natural resources.
Tribes reserved the right to fish, hunt and gather shellfish in treaties with the U.S. government negotiated in the mid-1850s. But when tribal members tried to exercise those rights off-reservation they were arrested for fishing in violation of state law.
Frank was arrested more than 50 times in the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 1970s because of his intense dedication to the treaty fishing rights cause. The tribal struggle was taken to the courts in U.S. v. Washington, and Judge George Hugo Boldt found in favor of the Indians in 1974. The Boldt Decision established the 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington as co-managers of the salmon resource with the State of Washington and re-affirmed the tribal right to half of the harvestable salmon returning to western Washington. He died on May 5, 2014.
Frank was chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, a position he held for more than 30 years.
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ABC News --
Billy Frank Jr., a tribal fisherman who led the "fish wars" that restored fishing rights and helped preserve a way of life for American Indians in the Northwest four decades ago, died Monday at 83.
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and the Nisqually Tribe near Olympia, Washington, confirmed his death. The cause was not immediately known.
Frank was arrested more than 50 times for "illegal fishing" during the protests that came to be known as the fish wars. Patterned after the sit-ins of the civil rights movement, the campaign was part of larger, nationwide movement in the 1960s for American Indian rights, including better schooling, free speech and legal protections.
"He was a selfless leader who dedicated his life to the long fight for the rights of our state's native people," Gov. Jay Inslee said in a written statement. "Billy was a champion of tribal rights, of the salmon, and the environment. He did that even when it meant putting himself in physical danger or facing jail."
The tribes had fished Northwest waters from time immemorial, and treaties promised them access to their "usual and accustomed" fishing grounds in exchange for ceding land to the white settlers in the 1850s.
But Washington state imposed restrictions on fishing last century as dams, logging runoff, pollution and overfishing cut into once abundant salmon runs. The tribes, many of which had their own fishing regulations, objected to the state imposing its will — especially when some 95 percent of fish harvested in Washington waters were caught by non-Indian fishermen.
Demonstrations staged across the Northwest attracted national attention, and the fishing-rights cause was taken up by celebrities such as the actor Marlon Brando, who was arrested with others in 1964 for illegal fishing from an Indian canoe on the nearby Puyallup River.
Frank, from a family of fishermen in the Nisqually Tribe, was first arrested for salmon fishing in 1945, at age 14 — an event that helped lead him on his long campaign for tribal rights. He and others were repeatedly arrested as they staged "fish-ins" demanding the right to fish in their historical waters.
The protests sometimes turned violent, with activists fighting back against state officials with sticks and paddles, the Washington state history website historylink.org noted.
There were two skirmishes in 1965: when state agents spilled a tribal boat on the Nisqually River, and when they raided the Frank family's six-acre property, known as Frank's Landing, which had become a focal point for fish-ins. Fights also erupted between Indian and non-Indian fishermen.
"We ceded all this land to the United States for a contract to protect our salmon, our way of life, our culture," Frank told The Associated Press in 2012. "We're gatherers and we're harvesters. And they forgot about us. They built their cities, they built their university. They built everything, and they forgot about us tribes."
The efforts were vindicated in 1974, when U.S. District Judge George Boldt affirmed the 20 tribes' right to half of the fish harvest — and the nation's obligation to honor the old treaties. At the time, non-Indian fishermen dominated the commercial fishing industry, leaving less than 5 percent of the catch for the tribes.
**********
The Olympian Wednesday, November 18, 2015:
"Late Nisqually tribal leader will get Medal of Freedom.
Tribal advocate Billy Frank Jr. will be honored with the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The late Nisqually tribal elder and longtime chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission is among 17 people who will be recognized by President Barack Obama at a Tuesday ceremony.
Honorees from the entertainment world include ..........., etc.
Frank was on the front lines of the 'Fish Wars' in the 1960s and 1970s that led up to the Boldt decision, which affirmed 20 coastal treaty tribes' rights to half the fish harvest in Washington.
He was arrested more than 50 times during the effort to enforce Indian fishing rights.
He died in May 2014."
Tribes reserved the right to fish, hunt and gather shellfish in treaties with the U.S. government negotiated in the mid-1850s. But when tribal members tried to exercise those rights off-reservation they were arrested for fishing in violation of state law.
Frank was arrested more than 50 times in the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 1970s because of his intense dedication to the treaty fishing rights cause. The tribal struggle was taken to the courts in U.S. v. Washington, and Judge George Hugo Boldt found in favor of the Indians in 1974. The Boldt Decision established the 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington as co-managers of the salmon resource with the State of Washington and re-affirmed the tribal right to half of the harvestable salmon returning to western Washington. He died on May 5, 2014.
Frank was chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, a position he held for more than 30 years.
*******************
ABC News --
Billy Frank Jr., a tribal fisherman who led the "fish wars" that restored fishing rights and helped preserve a way of life for American Indians in the Northwest four decades ago, died Monday at 83.
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and the Nisqually Tribe near Olympia, Washington, confirmed his death. The cause was not immediately known.
Frank was arrested more than 50 times for "illegal fishing" during the protests that came to be known as the fish wars. Patterned after the sit-ins of the civil rights movement, the campaign was part of larger, nationwide movement in the 1960s for American Indian rights, including better schooling, free speech and legal protections.
"He was a selfless leader who dedicated his life to the long fight for the rights of our state's native people," Gov. Jay Inslee said in a written statement. "Billy was a champion of tribal rights, of the salmon, and the environment. He did that even when it meant putting himself in physical danger or facing jail."
The tribes had fished Northwest waters from time immemorial, and treaties promised them access to their "usual and accustomed" fishing grounds in exchange for ceding land to the white settlers in the 1850s.
But Washington state imposed restrictions on fishing last century as dams, logging runoff, pollution and overfishing cut into once abundant salmon runs. The tribes, many of which had their own fishing regulations, objected to the state imposing its will — especially when some 95 percent of fish harvested in Washington waters were caught by non-Indian fishermen.
Demonstrations staged across the Northwest attracted national attention, and the fishing-rights cause was taken up by celebrities such as the actor Marlon Brando, who was arrested with others in 1964 for illegal fishing from an Indian canoe on the nearby Puyallup River.
Frank, from a family of fishermen in the Nisqually Tribe, was first arrested for salmon fishing in 1945, at age 14 — an event that helped lead him on his long campaign for tribal rights. He and others were repeatedly arrested as they staged "fish-ins" demanding the right to fish in their historical waters.
The protests sometimes turned violent, with activists fighting back against state officials with sticks and paddles, the Washington state history website historylink.org noted.
There were two skirmishes in 1965: when state agents spilled a tribal boat on the Nisqually River, and when they raided the Frank family's six-acre property, known as Frank's Landing, which had become a focal point for fish-ins. Fights also erupted between Indian and non-Indian fishermen.
"We ceded all this land to the United States for a contract to protect our salmon, our way of life, our culture," Frank told The Associated Press in 2012. "We're gatherers and we're harvesters. And they forgot about us. They built their cities, they built their university. They built everything, and they forgot about us tribes."
The efforts were vindicated in 1974, when U.S. District Judge George Boldt affirmed the 20 tribes' right to half of the fish harvest — and the nation's obligation to honor the old treaties. At the time, non-Indian fishermen dominated the commercial fishing industry, leaving less than 5 percent of the catch for the tribes.
**********
The Olympian Wednesday, November 18, 2015:
"Late Nisqually tribal leader will get Medal of Freedom.
Tribal advocate Billy Frank Jr. will be honored with the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The late Nisqually tribal elder and longtime chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission is among 17 people who will be recognized by President Barack Obama at a Tuesday ceremony.
Honorees from the entertainment world include ..........., etc.
Frank was on the front lines of the 'Fish Wars' in the 1960s and 1970s that led up to the Boldt decision, which affirmed 20 coastal treaty tribes' rights to half the fish harvest in Washington.
He was arrested more than 50 times during the effort to enforce Indian fishing rights.
He died in May 2014."
Billy Frank, Jr. (March 9, 1931 – May 5, 2014) was a Native American environmental leader and treaty rights activist born in 1931 to Willie and Angeline Frank. A Nisqually tribal member, Frank is known specifically for his grassroots campaign for fishing rights on the tribe's Nisqually River, located in Washington state in the 1960s and 1970s. He is also known for promoting cooperative management of natural resources.
Tribes reserved the right to fish, hunt and gather shellfish in treaties with the U.S. government negotiated in the mid-1850s. But when tribal members tried to exercise those rights off-reservation they were arrested for fishing in violation of state law.
Frank was arrested more than 50 times in the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 1970s because of his intense dedication to the treaty fishing rights cause. The tribal struggle was taken to the courts in U.S. v. Washington, and Judge George Hugo Boldt found in favor of the Indians in 1974. The Boldt Decision established the 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington as co-managers of the salmon resource with the State of Washington and re-affirmed the tribal right to half of the harvestable salmon returning to western Washington. He died on May 5, 2014.
Frank was chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, a position he held for more than 30 years.
*******************
ABC News --
Billy Frank Jr., a tribal fisherman who led the "fish wars" that restored fishing rights and helped preserve a way of life for American Indians in the Northwest four decades ago, died Monday at 83.
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and the Nisqually Tribe near Olympia, Washington, confirmed his death. The cause was not immediately known.
Frank was arrested more than 50 times for "illegal fishing" during the protests that came to be known as the fish wars. Patterned after the sit-ins of the civil rights movement, the campaign was part of larger, nationwide movement in the 1960s for American Indian rights, including better schooling, free speech and legal protections.
"He was a selfless leader who dedicated his life to the long fight for the rights of our state's native people," Gov. Jay Inslee said in a written statement. "Billy was a champion of tribal rights, of the salmon, and the environment. He did that even when it meant putting himself in physical danger or facing jail."
The tribes had fished Northwest waters from time immemorial, and treaties promised them access to their "usual and accustomed" fishing grounds in exchange for ceding land to the white settlers in the 1850s.
But Washington state imposed restrictions on fishing last century as dams, logging runoff, pollution and overfishing cut into once abundant salmon runs. The tribes, many of which had their own fishing regulations, objected to the state imposing its will — especially when some 95 percent of fish harvested in Washington waters were caught by non-Indian fishermen.
Demonstrations staged across the Northwest attracted national attention, and the fishing-rights cause was taken up by celebrities such as the actor Marlon Brando, who was arrested with others in 1964 for illegal fishing from an Indian canoe on the nearby Puyallup River.
Frank, from a family of fishermen in the Nisqually Tribe, was first arrested for salmon fishing in 1945, at age 14 — an event that helped lead him on his long campaign for tribal rights. He and others were repeatedly arrested as they staged "fish-ins" demanding the right to fish in their historical waters.
The protests sometimes turned violent, with activists fighting back against state officials with sticks and paddles, the Washington state history website historylink.org noted.
There were two skirmishes in 1965: when state agents spilled a tribal boat on the Nisqually River, and when they raided the Frank family's six-acre property, known as Frank's Landing, which had become a focal point for fish-ins. Fights also erupted between Indian and non-Indian fishermen.
"We ceded all this land to the United States for a contract to protect our salmon, our way of life, our culture," Frank told The Associated Press in 2012. "We're gatherers and we're harvesters. And they forgot about us. They built their cities, they built their university. They built everything, and they forgot about us tribes."
The efforts were vindicated in 1974, when U.S. District Judge George Boldt affirmed the 20 tribes' right to half of the fish harvest — and the nation's obligation to honor the old treaties. At the time, non-Indian fishermen dominated the commercial fishing industry, leaving less than 5 percent of the catch for the tribes.
**********
The Olympian Wednesday, November 18, 2015:
"Late Nisqually tribal leader will get Medal of Freedom.
Tribal advocate Billy Frank Jr. will be honored with the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The late Nisqually tribal elder and longtime chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission is among 17 people who will be recognized by President Barack Obama at a Tuesday ceremony.
Honorees from the entertainment world include ..........., etc.
Frank was on the front lines of the 'Fish Wars' in the 1960s and 1970s that led up to the Boldt decision, which affirmed 20 coastal treaty tribes' rights to half the fish harvest in Washington.
He was arrested more than 50 times during the effort to enforce Indian fishing rights.
He died in May 2014."
Tribes reserved the right to fish, hunt and gather shellfish in treaties with the U.S. government negotiated in the mid-1850s. But when tribal members tried to exercise those rights off-reservation they were arrested for fishing in violation of state law.
Frank was arrested more than 50 times in the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 1970s because of his intense dedication to the treaty fishing rights cause. The tribal struggle was taken to the courts in U.S. v. Washington, and Judge George Hugo Boldt found in favor of the Indians in 1974. The Boldt Decision established the 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington as co-managers of the salmon resource with the State of Washington and re-affirmed the tribal right to half of the harvestable salmon returning to western Washington. He died on May 5, 2014.
Frank was chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, a position he held for more than 30 years.
*******************
ABC News --
Billy Frank Jr., a tribal fisherman who led the "fish wars" that restored fishing rights and helped preserve a way of life for American Indians in the Northwest four decades ago, died Monday at 83.
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and the Nisqually Tribe near Olympia, Washington, confirmed his death. The cause was not immediately known.
Frank was arrested more than 50 times for "illegal fishing" during the protests that came to be known as the fish wars. Patterned after the sit-ins of the civil rights movement, the campaign was part of larger, nationwide movement in the 1960s for American Indian rights, including better schooling, free speech and legal protections.
"He was a selfless leader who dedicated his life to the long fight for the rights of our state's native people," Gov. Jay Inslee said in a written statement. "Billy was a champion of tribal rights, of the salmon, and the environment. He did that even when it meant putting himself in physical danger or facing jail."
The tribes had fished Northwest waters from time immemorial, and treaties promised them access to their "usual and accustomed" fishing grounds in exchange for ceding land to the white settlers in the 1850s.
But Washington state imposed restrictions on fishing last century as dams, logging runoff, pollution and overfishing cut into once abundant salmon runs. The tribes, many of which had their own fishing regulations, objected to the state imposing its will — especially when some 95 percent of fish harvested in Washington waters were caught by non-Indian fishermen.
Demonstrations staged across the Northwest attracted national attention, and the fishing-rights cause was taken up by celebrities such as the actor Marlon Brando, who was arrested with others in 1964 for illegal fishing from an Indian canoe on the nearby Puyallup River.
Frank, from a family of fishermen in the Nisqually Tribe, was first arrested for salmon fishing in 1945, at age 14 — an event that helped lead him on his long campaign for tribal rights. He and others were repeatedly arrested as they staged "fish-ins" demanding the right to fish in their historical waters.
The protests sometimes turned violent, with activists fighting back against state officials with sticks and paddles, the Washington state history website historylink.org noted.
There were two skirmishes in 1965: when state agents spilled a tribal boat on the Nisqually River, and when they raided the Frank family's six-acre property, known as Frank's Landing, which had become a focal point for fish-ins. Fights also erupted between Indian and non-Indian fishermen.
"We ceded all this land to the United States for a contract to protect our salmon, our way of life, our culture," Frank told The Associated Press in 2012. "We're gatherers and we're harvesters. And they forgot about us. They built their cities, they built their university. They built everything, and they forgot about us tribes."
The efforts were vindicated in 1974, when U.S. District Judge George Boldt affirmed the 20 tribes' right to half of the fish harvest — and the nation's obligation to honor the old treaties. At the time, non-Indian fishermen dominated the commercial fishing industry, leaving less than 5 percent of the catch for the tribes.
**********
The Olympian Wednesday, November 18, 2015:
"Late Nisqually tribal leader will get Medal of Freedom.
Tribal advocate Billy Frank Jr. will be honored with the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The late Nisqually tribal elder and longtime chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission is among 17 people who will be recognized by President Barack Obama at a Tuesday ceremony.
Honorees from the entertainment world include ..........., etc.
Frank was on the front lines of the 'Fish Wars' in the 1960s and 1970s that led up to the Boldt decision, which affirmed 20 coastal treaty tribes' rights to half the fish harvest in Washington.
He was arrested more than 50 times during the effort to enforce Indian fishing rights.
He died in May 2014."
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