Billy Frank Junior

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Billy Frank Jr., 2012

Billy Frank Jr.  ( March 9, 1931 - May 5, 2014 ) was a U.S. citizen, part of the Nisqually tribe, and leader of the conservation movement. He was also a Native American Rights activist . In the course of the so-called Fish Wars he was arrested over 50 times.

Frank was in the grassroots movement of indigenous people on the Nisqually River in Washington active in the 1960s and 70s. He was known for his commitment to cooperative management of natural resources. After Frank and other residents, citing US law that had been in force since 1850, began fishing for salmon, they were prosecuted by US authorities. This was followed by a legal dispute up to the Federal Court, which in 1974 awarded the tribes the rights of use.

Frank then became chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission ; a position he held for over 30 years. In November 2015, he was posthumously awarded the President's Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama . In the months that followed, the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge was  renamed in Frank's honor. Washington Congressman Dennis Heck said of the name change: “I loved Billy Frank. He was one of the greatest men I have met in my life. He is our Martin Luther King, our Desmond Tutu, our Nelson Mandela. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ David Stout: Native American Fishing Activist Billy Frank Jr. Dead at 83. Retrieved June 2, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Billy Frank Jr. | Tulalip News. Accessed June 2, 2017 .
  3. ^ The Washington Times http://www.washingtontimes.com : National wildlife refuge renamed to honor Billy Frank Jr. In: The Washington Times . ( washingtontimes.com [accessed June 2, 2017]).
personal data
SURNAME Frank, Billy Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Frank, Billy Jr.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American member of the Nisqually Tribe and leader of the conservation movement
DATE OF BIRTH March 9, 1931
DATE OF DEATH May 5, 2014