Oklahoma school teacher Harriet Wright O’Leary was the first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Photo Credit: Public Domain

It is not often that I discover a woman educator who has served on a tribal council, but teacher Harriet Wright O’Leary was such an educator. She was the first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Harriet was born on Dec. 7, 1916, in Wapanucka, Oklahoma. Her father was Allen Wright, who served as the Principal Chief of the Choctaw Republic from 1866 to 1870. He also served for many years as an Indian agent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her mother, a descendent of passengers on the Mayflower, was a missionary.

As a young woman, Harriet graduated from McAlester High School and then enrolled at Hershey’s Commercial School. Later she attended Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha. Today, the school is known as the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

In 1950, Harriet accepted a position as a fourth grade teacher at Emerson School in McAlester. In 1958, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she taught courses at Southwest Missouri State College, known today as Missouri State University. In 1963, she accepted a position as a Language Arts consultant to the American Book Company, where she organized reading workshops for the company that urged educators to use the phonic system. In 1967, Harriet retired and relocated to McAlester.

After she retired from the classroom, Harriet was elected to serve on the newly-created Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Tribal Council in 1979 to 1983. This council was the first tribal council convened since Oklahoma became a state in 1907. In addition to Harriet, two other women were elected to serve on the council of 15 members.

For her tireless work as an educator and a pioneering tribal council member, Harriet was awarded an honorary doctorate from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women, the Mayflower Society, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Sadly, Harriet passed away on Dec. 22, 1999, in McAlester, Oklahoma. She was 83 years old.