Arthur Bonnicastle (February 20, 1877 – May 30, 1923) was an Osage Nation politician who served as the 8th elected Principal Chief of the Osage Nation from 1920 to 1922.
Early Life and Education
Bonnicastle was born on February 20, 1877, on the Osage Reservation in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). His name was taken from the novel Arthur Bonnicastle: An American Novel (1873) by Josiah Gilbert Holland. He spent his childhood years growing up in Osage County.
On October 2, 1899, Bonnicastle entered the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a federally operated boarding school established to assimilate Native American children into Euro-American culture. He left Carlisle in February 1900 to join the U.S. Army. He later returned to the school and ultimately departed on August 20, 1903. His student file at Carlisle contains student information cards, correspondence, and a post-departure report.
Political Career
In 1920, Bonnicastle was elected as the 8th Principal Chief of the Osage Tribe, serving a single term from 1920 to 1922. He did not seek re-election as Principal Chief in 1922; instead, he ran for a seat on the Osage Council and was successful, taking office in 1922.
Personal Life
Bonnicastle married We-heh-shin-kah Angeline Penn in 1908 in Osage, Oklahoma. The couple had at least one daughter. He resided in Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma.
Death
Arthur Bonnicastle died on May 30, 1923.
Related Work of Fiction
The name "Arthur Bonnicastle" also appears as the title character of Arthur Bonnicastle: An American Novel (1873) by J. G. Holland, a coming-of-age story about youthful struggle, labor, education, and moral development. The Osage chief was named after this fictional character.
