This is a list of Native American politicians in the United States. These are Native Americans who served in the federal, state, or municipal governments.
Native American identity is a complex and contested issue. The Bureau of Indian Affairs defines Native American as having American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry. Legally, being Native American is defined as being enrolled in a federally recognized tribe or Alaskan village. These entities establish their own membership rules, and they vary. Each must be understood independently. Ethnologically, factors such as culture, history, language, religion, and familial kinships can influence Native American identity."IV. Our Nation’s American Indian and Alaska Native Citizens." US Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
All individuals on this list should have Native American ancestry. Historical figures might predate tribal enrollment practices and may be included based on reliable sources that document ethnological tribal membership. Any contemporary individuals should either be enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, or have cited Native American ancestry and be recognized as Native American by their respective tribes(s). Contemporary individuals who are not enrolled in a tribe but are documented as having tribal descent are listed as being "of descent" from a tribe.
For tribal leaders, please go to that tribe's article.
Federal offices Executive branch Name Image Life Ethnicityor tribe Party Offices held Peter Pitchlynn 1806–1881 Choctaw Nation Independent Choctaw Ambassador to the United States, 1845–1861, 1866–1881 National UnionMagazine, The Atlantic Monthly. April 1870 issue. See article, "Peter Pitchlynn, Chief of the Choctaws," p 490. "Peter P. Pitchlynn Collection" , Western Histories Collection, University of Oklahoma Libraries Ely Parker 1828–1895 Tonawanda Seneca Independent Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the Grant administration Charles Curtis 1860–1936 Kaw/Osage/Potawatomi Republican U.S. Vice President, 1929–1933 Ben Reifel 1906–1990 Rosebud Lakota Republican Interim Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1976–1977 Wilma Victor 1919–1987 Choctaw Nation Republican Special assistant to Secretary of the Interior Rogers Morton, 1971–1975 Ada Deer 1935–2023 Menominee Democratic 6th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 1993–1997 Neal McCaleb 1935–2025 Chickasaw Nation Republican 8th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 2001–2003 Ross Swimmer 1943– Cherokee Nation Republican 4th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 1985–1989 Special Trustee for American Indians at the U.S. Department of the Interior, 2003–2009 Larry Echo Hawk 1948– Pawnee Nation Democratic 11th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 2009–2012 David W. Anderson 1953– Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Republican 9th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 2004–2005 Marilynn Malerba 1953– Mohegan Independent 45th Treasurer of the United States, 2022–2024 Kevin Gover 1955– Pawnee Nation Democratic 7th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 1997–2001 Deb Haaland 1960– Laguna Pueblo Democratic 54th United States Secretary of the Interior, 2021–2025, Democratic nominee for Governor in 2026 Karina Walters 1964– Choctaw Nation Democratic Director of the Tribal Health Research Office at the National Institutes of Health, 2023–present Yvette Herrell 1964– Cherokee Republican Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Relations, 2025–present Carl J. Artman 1965– Oneida Republican 10th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 2007–2008 Keith Harper 1965– Cherokee Nation Democratic U.S. representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council, 2014–2017 Kimberly Teehee 1966– Cherokee Nation Democratic White House Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs, 2009–2012 Kevin K. Washburn 1967– Chickasaw Nation Democratic 12th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 2012–2016 Jeannie Hovland 1969– Santee Dakota Sioux Republican Commissioner for the Administration for Native Americans, 2018–2021 Tara Sweeney 1973– Arctic Slope Iñupiat Republican 13th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 2018–2021 Markwayne Mullin 1977– Cherokee Nation Republican 9th United States Secretary of Homeland Security, 2026–present T. W. Shannon 1978– Chickasaw Nation Republican Senior Advisor to Secretary Brooke Rollins, US Department of Agriculture, 2025–2026 Sam Brown 1983– Cherokee Nation Republican Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs, 2025–present Jack Jackson Jr. Navajo Nation Democratic Liaison to Secretary John Kerry, US Department of State Bryan Newland Bay Mills Chippewa Democratic 14th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, 2021–2025 Patrice Kunesh Of Standing Rock Lakota descentNot a registered member Democratic Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans, 2023–present Roselyn Tso Navajo Nation Democratic Director of the Indian Health Service, 2022–2025
Legislative branch
State offices Alaska