Phillip Martin, former Choctaw chief, passes on at 83

National

Friday, February 5, 2010

Phillip Martin, the former longtime chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, died on Thursday night at a hospital in Mississippi. He was 83.

Martin suffered a massive stroke on Monday. His family said he was resting peacefully after being taken off life support on Wednesday.

Martin served as chief for 32 years. He was a founder and president of the United Southern and Eastern Tribes, which holds its annual Impact Week Meeting next week.

Martin was well known throughout Indian Country and on Capitol Hill for promoting self-determination and economic development.

"He transformed the economy of our tribe and with it the fate of our people. He modernized our government," Miko Beasley Denson, the current chief of the tribe, said in a statement. "Our tribe and all of Indian Country would not be where we are today without his leadership, commitment to self-determination and his dedication to economic development. My prayers are with his family."

Get the Story:
Former Choctaw Chief Phillip Martin Has Died (WTOK-TV 2/4)
Former Choctaw chief dies (The Jackson Clarion-Ledger 2/5)
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians issues statement on the death of Phillip Martin (The Neshoba Democrat 2/5)
Former Choctaw Tribal Chief Phillip Martin dead at 83 (The Neshoba Democrat 2/4)