Political Leaders and Activists
| Name | Lifetime | Montana connection | Comments | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobell, Elouise P.Elouise P. Cobell | 1946–present | Born and lives on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation | Accountant; banker; rancher; lead plaintiff in Cobell v. Salazar, a successful $3.4 billion class action settlement on behalf of Native Americans against the federal government | |
| Coups, PlentyPlenty Coups | 1848–1932 | Born in Montana, possibly near Billings; lived in south-central Montana most of his life; spent later years near Pryor | Chief of the Mountain Crows, or Apsáalooke, band of the Crow Nation | |
| Haskell, Ella J. KnowlesElla J. Knowles Haskell | 1860–1911 | Moved to Montana from New Hampshire after finishing college; lived and worked in Helena, Butte, and then Glendive | Pioneer of women's rights in Montana; teacher; first woman to practice law in Montana and the first woman ever to plead a case before the U.S. Circuit Court; first woman to run for state Attorney General | |
| Horse-Capture, GeorgeGeorge Horse-Capture | 1937–present | Graduated from high school in Butte; taught college in Great Falls | Anthropologist; writer; political activist; participated in the Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island | |
| Joseph, ChiefChief Joseph | 1840–1904 | Led his people through much of western Montana during the Nez Perce War, eventually surrendering in the Bear Paw Mountains, close to the Canadian border | Chief of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce; humanitarian; peacemaker | |
| Juneau, DeniseDenise Juneau | 1967–present | Lived in Billings, Browning, Bozeman, Missoula, and Helena | Teacher; Montana State Superintendent of Public Instruction; head of Montana Office of Public Instruction; first American Indian woman to be elected to statewide executive office in Montana; member of Mandan and Hidatsa tribes | |
| Kemmis, DanielDaniel Kemmis | 1946–present | Born and raised in eastern Montana; attended law school in Missoula | Author; lawyer; speaker and minority leader of the Montana House of Representatives (1983–1985); mayor of Missoula (1990–1996) | |
| Leforge, ThomasThomas Leforge | 1850–1931 | Moved to Virginia City as a teen | Montana militiaman; scout; camp follower; often lived with the Crow Nation; author of historical account Memoirs of a White Crow Indian | |
| Mansfield, MikeMike Mansfield | 1903–2001 | Moved to Great Falls as at a very young age; attended college in Butte and Missoula | Served in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps; miner; professor; Senator (1953–1977); longest serving Senate Majority Leader (1961–1977); ambassador to Japan (1977–1988) | |
| Old Person, EarlEarl Old Person | 1929–present | Born and lives on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation | Chief of the Blackfoot Confederacy | |
| Racicot, MarcMarc Racicot | 1948–present | Born in Thompson Falls; raised in Miles City and Libby | Governor of Montana (1993–2001); chairman of the Republican National Committee (2002–2003); lawyer | |
| Rankin, JeannetteJeannette Rankin | 1880–1973 | Born near and attended college in Missoula | First female member of the United States Congress (1917–1919, 1941–1943); only member of Congress to vote against United States entry into World War II; sister of Wellington D. Rankin | |
| Rankin, Wellington D.Wellington D. Rankin | 1884–1966 | Born near and attended college in Missoula | Attorney; Montana Attorney General (1920–26); landowner; brother of Jeannette Rankin | |
| Roth, Jr., William V.William V. Roth, Jr. | 1921–2003 | Born in Great Falls; raised in Helena | US Senator from Delaware (1971–2001); namesake of Roth IRA | |
| Thorkelson, JacobJacob Thorkelson | 1876–1945 | Moved to Montana as an adult in 1913; lived in Dillon | Navigator, medical doctor, reserve naval officer, United States Representative from Montana (1939–1941) | |
| Venne, CarlCarl Venne | 1946–2009 | Born in Helena; raised and lived on the Crow Indian Reservation | Chairman of the Crow Nation (2002–2009) | |
| Wheeler, Burton K.Burton K. Wheeler | 1876–1945 | Settled in Butte after losing his belongings in a poker game during a train stop in Butte while on the way to Seattle, Washington | Lawyer and United States Senator from Montana (1923–1947) | |
| Yellowtail, BillBill Yellowtail | 1948–present | Born in Wyola; lived in Helena and Bozeman | Administrator; member of Montana Senate (1985–1993); member of the Crow Nation | |
| Yellowtail, RobertRobert Yellowtail | 1889?–1988 | Born and raised in Lodge Grass | Lawyer; Indian leader; member of the Crow Nation |
Read more about this topic: List Of People From Montana, Politicians
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