Cherokee Nation deputy principal chief elected to national office

Photo by Lisa Hicks, Cherokee Phoenix -- (Top photo) Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Joe Grayson Jr. spoke at the Nov.10 dedication of the Cherokee Nation Warrior Memorial. Photo courtesy of Cherokee Nation Archives -- Grayson has been elected to the office of Eastern Oklahoma area vice president for the National Congress of American Indians. Grayson received 53 percent of the votes cast, beating out two tough opponents for the coveted office.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Deputy Principal Chief Joe Grayson Jr. may be one of the most important members of the Cherokee Nation tribal government, but he simply refers to himself as an ''old working guy'' who enjoys hands-on hard work.

Grayson was elected to the office of Eastern Oklahoma area vice president for the National Congress of American Indians during 62nd annual convention in early November. He will serve a two-year term on the NCAI board of directors. ''I am extremely honored to serve in this position,'' said Grayson. ''I will represent all Indians equally and fairly. I will be Indian first and Cherokee second.''

Grayson received 53 percent of the votes cast, beating out Charles Locust, deputy chief of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, with 31 percent, and John Berry, chairman of the Quapaw Nation, with 16 percent for the coveted office.

As vice president, Grayson will preside over three annual meetings of the Eastern Oklahoma NCAI caucuses and will represent the Eastern Oklahoma area on the board. He will represent the Muscogee Creek, Chickasaw, Shawnee, Quapaw, Osage, Miami, Alabama Quassarte, Delaware, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee, as well as the Cherokee Nations.

In addition, he will continue with his regular duties as deputy principal chief.

''[Principal Chief Chad Smith] and I work 24/7,'' Grayson pointed out. ''If I go to the store, people stop me. If I go to Wal-Mart, people stop and ask me a few questions. I've gotten phone calls late in the evening and late at night. As far as an average day, it's probably nine hours or so, maybe 10. A lot of times it's more than that. It's not a five-day-a-week job because on weekends Chad and I go places.''

Grayson's job also includes taking Smith's place when he cannot attend meetings, which requires knowledge of tribal affairs and business. Aside from that, he regularly presides over the tribal council meetings. ''I only get to vote in case of a tie. I have been deputy chief for two years and I've gotten to vote twice, and that was during the same night,'' he laughed.

The deputy chief worked as a plumber for more than 30 years, retiring after 20 years at W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah in 2003. He attributes his strong work ethic to his experience in the military.

He served with the 4th Infantry Division in the central highlands of Vietnam near Cambodia from 1968 - '69. And he hails from four generations of veterans, including his grandfather, Napoleon Bonaparte Grayson, who served in the Army during World War I; his father, Joe Grayson Sr., who served in the Army during World War II, and his son, Stuart, who served as a Marine in Europe before Sept. 11, 2001.

After his release from the Army, he selected plumbing as a profession while attending a job fair in Tulsa. ''The VA hospital in Muskogee had an opening for a plumber and an electrician. I hate to get shocked, but I don't mind getting wet, so I went for the plumbing position.''

Grayson also enjoys gun collecting and hunting. ''I hunt deer, rabbit and all kinds of small things, but I don't get to hunt as much now since I'm deputy chief.'' He said he doesn't mind missing out on hunting because he enjoys serving Indian people.

During a brief speech before the assembled Eastern Oklahoma tribal voters, Grayson said he believed his experience as a veteran and as deputy principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest tribe in Oklahoma, made him a viable candidate for the national office.