John Jolly - Achievements As Principal Chief

Achievements As Principal Chief

In 1828, during Jolly's term of office, the Cherokee Nation—West adopted a constitution establishing a tripartite government, much like that previously adopted by the Cherokee Nation—East (1827). That same year, most of the western Cherokee were moved from Indian Reserve areas in the Arkansas Territory to the newly established Indian Territory (in present-day Oklahoma).

In his role as leader, Jolly frequently raised issues of security and treaty rights with both U.S. government officials in Washington DC and with Arkansas territorial authorities. Shortly after being named president, Jolly wrote to Arkansas governor George Izard in alarm over rumors that the governor was about to broach the subject of the sale of Cherokee lands in Arkansas. Jolly advised the governor that the Cherokee had no lands whatsoever that they wished to sell and that, furthermore, the U.S. government was in arrears in meeting its financial obligations left over from the previous treaty of 1817. For a decade, he used diplomatic means to fend off pressures from American settlers and government representatives to restrict Cherokee lands in Arkansas and eventually to force the Arkansas Cherokee to move again out of Arkansas and into Indian Territory.

One writer states that much of Jolly's success as Chief "was due to the counsel and support of John Rogers", his brother-in-law and Cherokee headman.

Jolly served as Principal Chief until his death in December 1838. He was succeeded by John Looney, who had been his assistant principal chief.