Larry Echo Hawk - Career

Career

Echo Hawk began his legal career working with California Indian Legal Services. He started his own law practice in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1975. In 1977, he became general legal counsel for the Fort Hall, Idaho based Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. He also served as a special prosecutor for the Navajo Nation in 1985.

A Democrat, Echo Hawk entered politics in 1982 by winning a seat in the Idaho State House of Representatives from Bannock County. Four years later he was elected Bannock County prosecuting attorney. Echo Hawk was elected Attorney General of Idaho in 1990.

Echo Hawk served as national co-chair for Native Americans for Clinton-Gore in 1992 and was a principal speaker at that year's Democratic National Convention. He was also the chair of the Idaho delegation at the Democratic National Convention that year.

In 1994 Echo Hawk announced his candidacy to succeed fellow Democrat Cecil D. Andrus, who was retiring as Governor of Idaho. Echo Hawk decisively defeated former state senator Ron Beitelspacher and an unknown candidate in the Democratic primary, fueling speculation that he could be the nation's first Native American governor. However, he was defeated in the general election by the Republican candidate, former Lieutenant Governor Phil Batt. Echo Hawk has not been a candidate for public office since.

Shortly after his 1994 defeat, Echo Hawk accepted a faculty position at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School. In that capacity he taught courses in criminal law, criminal procedure and federal Indian law. He has also published several scholarly papers.

Echo Hawk is admitted to the bar in Idaho, Utah and California.

Echo Hawk served on the American Indian Services National Advisory Board and Board of Trustees. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice, a leading group on justice policy development. He has also served on the board of the American Indian Community Resource Center.

Echo Hawk became the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs in 2009. Under his administration of the department the amount of land held in trust by the Federal Government for Native American groups was increased by 158,000 acres. He also oversaw several water agreements for Native American groups. It was also under his direction that implementation of the Tribal Law and Order Act occurred. While over Indian Affairs, he oversaw the formation of the Tribal Leadership Conference which provides for an annual meeting between leaders or other representatives of the 566 federally recognized tribes and the United States President and all members of the Cabinet. He resigned his position at Interior on April 27, 2012.