Louis R. Bruce
Louis R. Bruce was a prominent figure in Native American advocacy and government, hailing from the Saint Regis Mohawk reservation in New York. Born to a Methodist minister and an Oglala Sioux mother, Bruce identified as Sioux and had deep familial ties to Native American leadership, including a Mohawk chief as his grandfather. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1930 and took on significant roles, including serving as the New York state director of Indian projects for the National Youth Administration from 1935 to 1942. In 1969, he became the commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs under President Richard Nixon, aiming to "Indianize" the bureau by promoting Native Americans to key positions. His leadership coincided with rising Native American activism, which included notable protests such as the occupation of the BIA building in 1972. Despite his efforts, Bruce faced significant resistance from established interests that opposed changes in the status quo. His tenure was cut short when he and many senior aides were dismissed by Nixon just days before the 1972 presidential election.
Louis R. Bruce
- Born: December 30, 1906
- Birthplace: Onondaga Reservation near Syracuse, New York
- Died: May 20, 1989
- Place of death: Arlington, Virginia
Category: Native American leader, BIA commissioner
Tribal affiliation: Mohawk, Oglala Sioux
Significance: Bruce served as commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) during a time of considerable American Indian activism
Louis R. Bruce was reared on the Saint Regis Mohawk reservation in upper New York state; his father was a Methodist minister there. Bruce’s mother was an Oglala Sioux, and he considered himself a Sioux; his paternal grandfather was a Mohawk chief. Bruce was graduated from Syracuse University in 1930; in 1935 he was appointed the New York state director of Indian projects for the National Youth Administration, a position he held for seven years.
Bruce was named commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs by President Richard Nixon in 1969. He set out to “Indianize” the bureau by appointing Native Americans to influential positions. His policies encountered considerable opposition from interests that had benefited from keeping Indians in subordinate positions. Bruce’s tenure coincided with Indian activist movements in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s; in 1972, for example, the BIA building in Washington was occupied by native militants. Bruce and most of his top assistants were subsequently fired by Nixon, less than a week before the 1972 presidential election.