Deer, Ada (1935–)

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Deer, Ada (1935–)

Native American government official. Born Ada Elizabeth Deer, Aug 7, 1935, in Keshena, Wisconsin, a town in the Menominee Indian Reservation; 1st of 9 children of Joseph Deer (Menominee) and Constance Stockton (Wood) Deer (white Quaker); University of Wisconsin at Madison, BA in social work, 1957, the 1st member of her tribe to graduate from that university; Columbia University, MA in Social Work, 1961.

Was an administrative social worker (1958–71); successfully spearheaded the fight to restore the Menominees' status as a federally recognized tribe (1973); became the 1st female chair of her tribe; taught in School of Social Work and in American Indian Studies Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison (1977–93); appointed assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior (1993), the 1st woman to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and ran the agency until 1997.