Jay R. Morago, the first governor of the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona, died on May 14 after a battle with cancer. He was 90.
Morago, who received a purple heart and four bronze stars during World War II, held office from 1954 to 1960. He helped the tribe develop its 1960 constitution.
"He was a leader who developed and created those things that we needed as a tribe and was able to sustain it to where we felt prosperity and progress in a unique way wasn't necessarily defined by finances," said tribal secretary Kristina Morago, a distant cousin, The Arizona Republic reported.
Funeral services take place today on the reservation.
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Funeral for first Gila River governor set
(The Arizona Republic 5/20)
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