Dodge, Henry Chee

Dodge, Henry Chee

(?1860–1947) Navajo principal chief; born at Fort Defiance in present-day Arizona. Due in part to his English skills, he became the official Navajo interpreter and was appointed political successor to the great chief Manualito in 1884. A successful trader and rancher, he was elected chair of the new Navajo Tribal Council (1923–28) and reelected in 1942. Much of his life he worked to improve the living conditions of the Navajo, both by holding off the intrusions of private white enterprises and by bringing in U.S. government services.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.