Ross, John (1790-1866), was the principal chief of the Native American Cherokee people from 1828 to 1866. His father was Scottish, and his mother was Scottish and Cherokee. But he won the support of the tribe and led it through one of its most difficult periods.
As chief, Ross resisted pressure from federal and state governments to move the Cherokee from their homelands in the Southeastern United States to Indian Territory, in what is now Oklahoma. In the 1830’s, settlers from the east began taking Cherokee lands, particularly in Georgia. Ross appealed to the courts, Congress, and President Andrew Jackson, but he could not stop the flow of illegal settlers. In the winter of 1838-1839, Ross unwillingly led his people to the Indian Territory. Thousands of Cherokee died on the way. Ross was born on Oct. 3, 1790, near Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. He died on Aug. 1, 1866.
