"Wilma Mankiller had a formidable name, but she wasn't the lawbreaker one might assume. Quite the opposite, she was a lawmaker – the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Mankiller was just 40 years old when she became Chief in 1985. But her relative youth didn't stop her from displaying strong leadership and making positive changes. During her eleven-year tenure, she oversaw a period of huge growth for the Cherokee Nation, with the population almost tripling from 55,000 to 156,000. She strengthened the relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. government. She worked to establish community development programs and revived the tribal high school in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

She did all this while proving that a woman could thrive and succeed in the highest office in her nation. The Cherokee traditionally saw both men and women in leadership positions, but the government was male-dominated in Mankiller's era. She took her position as a woman in power seriously, and she encouraged other women and girls who wanted to lead."

Get the Story:
Wilma Mankiller: Every Day is a Good Day (Legacy.com 11/18)