Arizona's first Native American lawmaker Lloyd House passes on


Lloyd House. Photo from Arizona State Historical Archives

Lloyd House, who was the first Native American to serve in the Arizona Legislature, died on January 2. He was 83.

House was Navajo and Oneida. He served in the state Senate from 1967 to 1968 but didn't seek re-election because he said he was impossible to bring a bill to the floor.

"Why break my back? I said goodbye," House told Arizona State Archives Legislative Oral History Project.

House was a veteran who served in the U.S. Marines and in the U.S. Air Force. He served as a Code Talker during World War II because he knew the Navajo language, The Navajo Hopi-Observer reported in September 2005.

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Arizona's first Native American lawmaker dies (The Arizona Republic 1/7)

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