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Osley Bird Saunooke
Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
In office 1951–1955
Preceded by	Henry Bradley
Succeeded by	Jarret Blythe
In office 1959–1963
Preceded by	Jarret Blythe
Succeeded by	Jarret Blythe
Personal details
Born	(1906-07-19)July 19, 1906 Yellowhill, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	April 16, 1965(1965-04-16) (aged 58) Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
Nationality	Eastern Band Cherokee, American
Spouse	Bertha Smith ​(m. 1934)​
Occupation	Politician Wrestler
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Chief Saunooke
Billed height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Billed weight	369 lb (167 kg)
Trained by	Charles Cutler
Debut	1937
Retired	1951

Osley Bird Saunooke (July 19, 1906 – April 16, 1965) was a professional wrestler and politician who served as the 17th Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from 1951 to 1955 and from 1959 to 1963. He won the heavyweight title in 1937 from Thor Johnson and held it for fourteen years.

Career

During the Great Depression, Saunooke began wrestling professionally and at one time weighed in at 369 pounds (167 kg). Billed as Chief Saunooke, he won the Super Heavyweight title in 1937 from Thor Johnson and held it for fourteen years. After taking part in more than five thousand matches, including seventeen main events in New York City's Madison Square Garden, he retired from the ring in 1951 and returned to Cherokee to enter business and wrestling promoter.

Also in 1951, Saunooke entered politics by becoming the 17th Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Saunooke served two nonconsecutive terms, from 951 to 1955 and from 1959 to 1963. In 1962, Saunooke was elected vice-president of the National Congress of American Indians. Saunooke is also credited with developing the Cherokee Reservation into a model reservation. Various tribes from all over the United States came to study governmental and sanitation systems installed under Saunooke's administration.

Personal life

Born on July 19, 1906, to a Cherokee father and English mother, Saunooke was descended from a lineage of Indian chiefs for five generations. Saunooke attended Haskell Institute, where he was also a member of the football team. Afterwards he served in the U.S. Marines Corp, drove a taxicab, and worked in the wheat fields and on the railroad in the Midwest. In 1935 he married Bertha Smith, and they became the parents of five children. Saunooke passed-away on April 16, 1965, in Asheville, at the age of 58.

Legacy

Since 1978, the Chief Osley B. Saunooke wrestling invitational takes place every year at Cherokee High School.

References

1. "Chief Saunooke". Wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
2. Conley, Robert J. (December 16, 2007). A Cherokee Encyclopedia. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826339539.
3. ^ Conway, Robert O. (1994). "Saunooke, Osley Bird". State Library of North Carolina. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
4. Conley, Robert J. (October 20, 2014). Cherokee Thoughts: Honest and Uncensored. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 181. ISBN 9780806183718.
5. ^ "The Chief Dies". The Living Church. Madison, WI: Morehouse-Gorham Company. May 16, 1965. p. 6. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
6. Lossiah, Jonah (January 6, 2020). "Cherokee Wrestling hosts 42nd Chief Osley B. Saunooke Invitational". Cherokee One Feather. Cherokee, NC. Retrieved August 15, 2024.

• 1906 births
• 1965 deaths
• Principal Chiefs of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• 20th-century Native Americans
• Native American professional wrestlers
• American male professional wrestlers
• Professional wrestlers from North Carolina