Ben Reifel
Encyclopedia
Benjamin "Ben" Reifel, also known as Lone Feather (September 19, 1906 - January 2, 1990) was a public administrator and politician of Lakota Sioux and German-American descent. He had a career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs
, retiring as area administrator. He ran for the US Congress from the East River
region of South Dakota, and was elected as the first Lakota to serve in the House of Representatives. He served five terms as a Republican
United States Congressman from the (now obsolete) First District
.
Born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation
, Reifel graduated from South Dakota State College. During World War II
he served in Europe
, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
. He worked for the Department of the Interior beginning in 1933, retiring as the Aberdeen, South Dakota
area administrator of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
in March 1960. Awarded a mid-career fellowship in public administration to Harvard University
for a master's degree, he went on to earn his PhD
in 1952. Elected to the Eighty-seventh Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1961-January 3, 1971), Reifel chose not to run in 1970.
near Parmelee, South Dakota
, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation
. He was the son of Lucy Burning Breast, a Lakota Sioux, and William Reifel, of German-American
descent. Ben Reifel was enrolled in the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and his Indian name means "Lone Feather" in English. He attended a Todd County school as well as the Rosebud Reservation boarding school as a child. He graduated at the age of sixteen from the eighth grade, speaking both English and Lakota
.
For three years Reifel worked on his family's farm before entering the School of Agriculture, a vocational high school in Brookings, South Dakota
. After finishing high school in 1928, Reifel enrolled in the South Dakota State College. He paid his own tuition for his first four years of schooling. He took out one of the first loans offered to Native American
students under a Merriam Report-recommended Indian education program. Reifel graduated with a B.S. in agriculture in 1932. He was elected the President of the Students' Association during his senior year.
as an adviser for boys. He began working at the Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) in 1933; he was assigned to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
as a farm agent to the Oglala Lakota
. After a year, he was promoted to field agent at the Pierre, South Dakota
regional headquarters.
Reifel's duties including promoting the new programs of the Indian Reorganization Act
, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1934. Allotment
of reservation lands was ended, to enable tribes to hold communal lands and better preserve their territories. Under the new law, tribes could reorganize self governments. They were encouraged to write constitutions and to use models of elected government proposed by the BIA, rather than the life chiefs previously supported by the clans.
The American Indian people had endured hard times during the Great Depression
, as well as the drought
that caused Dust Bowl
conditions in some parts of the Great Plains
. Reifel was largely successful in garnering support for the Act. He started at Pine Ridge and later made his way to other reservations
in South Dakota, ensuring that the programs of the Bureau were effective in the South Dakota reservations.
. In 1931, he had been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve
. In March 1942, the Army ordered Reifel to active duty, and he served until July 1946. He distinguished himself in combat in Germany
and France
, where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel
.
under a Civil Service Commission
program for management development of career government officials. He earned his Masters degree in 1949. He received a John Hay Whitney
Foundation Opportunity Fellowship and completed his Doctorate in Public Administration in 1952. Following his graduation, Reifel returned to the BIA.
He worked briefly at its national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
before returning to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation as Superintendent. Reifel later served as Superintendent at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
.
In 1955 he was promoted as the Area Director of the Aberdeen Area Office in Aberdeen, South Dakota
. He was responsible for numerous employees and the application of federal programs and policies for American Indians of a three-state region: Nebraska
, North Dakota
and South Dakota. He served as administrator up until three years before his retirement.
in South Dakota's 1st congressional district
. At the time it included all of the counties east of the Missouri River, or East River
. (The district was redrawn in 1983 to include 21 counties in the southeast part of the state.) Reifel was elected by a substantial margin; he was the first person of Lakota or Sioux
descent to serve in the US Congress. During the 1960s, he was the only American Indian
in Congress. He served for five terms as Representative from South Dakota. Regarded as a "conservative Republican," he was a thinker who prepared himself well on legislative matters. He could always give a substantial and thoughtful basis for his stand on issues.
In Congress Reifel held several committee assignments. In his first term, he was appointed to the House Agricultural Committee; in his second, to the House Committee on Appropriations. He served as the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations subcommittee on Interior Department Affairs.
He worked hard for farming interests in South Dakota and the Plains states in general, opposing cuts in farm support programs, pushing the Oahe Dam
to supply water for irrigation
, and similar matters.
At the same time, he continued to work vigorously for American Indian education, with significant accomplishments. Opposing segregation
, he believed that the key to ending the isolation of the Native American people was in educational programs that enrolled American Indian and non-Indian students together in modern progressive facilities (as was recommended by the 1928 Merriam Report), rather than keeping children in Indian-only boarding schools. Reifel supported the Civil Rights Act of 1968
and an increase in the minimum wage
.
Reifel was instrumental in getting the Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science
(EROS) of the US Geological Survey located in South Dakota. In addition, he gained support to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base
as an active military base in the state. On a broader national level, he was instrumental in securing passage of legislation to create the National Endowment for the Humanities
and the National Arts Council.
In 1970 Reifel decided not to seek reelection. While he intended to retire in 1971, he remained active, accepting an appointment by President Richard Nixon
as chair of the National Capital Planning Commission
, which has oversight over federal projects in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. He next served as Special Assistant for Indian programs to the Director of the National Park Service
in the Department of the Interior. He also served as Interim Commissioner of Indian Affairs during the last two months of the Ford administration
.
and the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America
. He also served as National president of Arrow, Inc., a Native American service organization.
In 1977, Reifel became a trustee of the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings
. He served terms as the board president in 1982-83. He established the first Native American collection at the Art Museum in 1977, donating most of his personal collection.
. They had a daughter, Loyce Nadine Reifel. She married Emery Andersen. Alice Reifel died of pneumonia
on February 8, 1972.
Ben Reifel remarried on August 14, 1972 to Frances Colby of DeSmet, South Dakota. He died of cancer
on January 2, 1990.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
, retiring as area administrator. He ran for the US Congress from the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
region of South Dakota, and was elected as the first Lakota to serve in the House of Representatives. He served five terms as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
United States Congressman from the (now obsolete) First District
South Dakota's 1st congressional district
South Dakota's 1st congressional district is now obsolete. It existed from 1913 to 1983.When South Dakota was admitted into the Union in 1889, it was allocated two congressional seats, both of which were elected state-wide at-large...
.
Born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation
Rosebud Indian Reservation
The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Sicangu Oyate, also known as Sicangu Lakota, the Upper Brulé Sioux Nation, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe , a branch of the Lakota people...
, Reifel graduated from South Dakota State College. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. He worked for the Department of the Interior beginning in 1933, retiring as the Aberdeen, South Dakota
Aberdeen, South Dakota
Aberdeen is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, about 125 mi northeast of Pierre. Settled in 1880, it was incorporated in 1882. The city population was 26,091 at the 2010 census. The American News is the local newspaper...
area administrator of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
in March 1960. Awarded a mid-career fellowship in public administration to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
for a master's degree, he went on to earn his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1952. Elected to the Eighty-seventh Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1961-January 3, 1971), Reifel chose not to run in 1970.
Early life and education
Reifel was born in a log cabinLog cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
near Parmelee, South Dakota
Parmelee, South Dakota
Parmelee is a census-designated place in Todd County, South Dakota, United States, which lies within the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The population was 562 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation
Rosebud Indian Reservation
The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Sicangu Oyate, also known as Sicangu Lakota, the Upper Brulé Sioux Nation, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe , a branch of the Lakota people...
. He was the son of Lucy Burning Breast, a Lakota Sioux, and William Reifel, of German-American
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
descent. Ben Reifel was enrolled in the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and his Indian name means "Lone Feather" in English. He attended a Todd County school as well as the Rosebud Reservation boarding school as a child. He graduated at the age of sixteen from the eighth grade, speaking both English and Lakota
Lakota language
Lakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of the Sioux tribes. While generally taught and considered by speakers as a separate language, Lakota is mutually understandable with the other two languages , and is considered by most linguists one of the three major varieties of the Sioux...
.
For three years Reifel worked on his family's farm before entering the School of Agriculture, a vocational high school in Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is the fourth largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 22,056 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State University, the largest institution of higher...
. After finishing high school in 1928, Reifel enrolled in the South Dakota State College. He paid his own tuition for his first four years of schooling. He took out one of the first loans offered to Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
students under a Merriam Report-recommended Indian education program. Reifel graduated with a B.S. in agriculture in 1932. He was elected the President of the Students' Association during his senior year.
Career
Following his graduation in 1932, Reifel was hired by Hare's School in Mission, South DakotaMission, South Dakota
Mission is a city in Todd County, South Dakota, United States, and the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The population was 1,182 at the 2010 census....
as an adviser for boys. He began working at the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
(BIA) in 1933; he was assigned to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
as a farm agent to the Oglala Lakota
Oglala Lakota
The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota and Dakota, they make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth-largest Native American reservation in the...
. After a year, he was promoted to field agent at the Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...
regional headquarters.
Reifel's duties including promoting the new programs of the Indian Reorganization Act
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 the Indian New Deal, was U.S. federal legislation that secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives...
, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
in 1934. Allotment
Allotment
Allotment may refer to:* Allotment , a small area of land, let out at a nominal yearly rent by local government or independent allotment associations, for individuals to grow their own food...
of reservation lands was ended, to enable tribes to hold communal lands and better preserve their territories. Under the new law, tribes could reorganize self governments. They were encouraged to write constitutions and to use models of elected government proposed by the BIA, rather than the life chiefs previously supported by the clans.
The American Indian people had endured hard times during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, as well as the drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
that caused Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
conditions in some parts of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
. Reifel was largely successful in garnering support for the Act. He started at Pine Ridge and later made his way to other reservations
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in South Dakota, ensuring that the programs of the Bureau were effective in the South Dakota reservations.
World War II
Reifel's BIA career was interrupted by World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1931, he had been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
. In March 1942, the Army ordered Reifel to active duty, and he served until July 1946. He distinguished himself in combat in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
.
Postwar career
After being discharged, Reifel continued working for the BIA. He was selected as a Tribal Relations Officer and later promoted to the position as Superintendent of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.Harvard
In 1949 Reifel was awarded a scholarship to study public administration at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
under a Civil Service Commission
Civil Service Commission
-Chairmen:*John Houghton MHK, 2004-date*George Waft MLC, 1996-2004*Clare Christian MLC, 1981-1982*Noel Cringle MLC, 1992-1996*Walter Gilbey, years unknown...
program for management development of career government officials. He earned his Masters degree in 1949. He received a John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
Foundation Opportunity Fellowship and completed his Doctorate in Public Administration in 1952. Following his graduation, Reifel returned to the BIA.
He worked briefly at its national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
before returning to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation as Superintendent. Reifel later served as Superintendent at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
.
In 1955 he was promoted as the Area Director of the Aberdeen Area Office in Aberdeen, South Dakota
Aberdeen, South Dakota
Aberdeen is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, about 125 mi northeast of Pierre. Settled in 1880, it was incorporated in 1882. The city population was 26,091 at the 2010 census. The American News is the local newspaper...
. He was responsible for numerous employees and the application of federal programs and policies for American Indians of a three-state region: Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and South Dakota. He served as administrator up until three years before his retirement.
Political career
In 1960, Reifel retired from the BIA and ran for CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in South Dakota's 1st congressional district
South Dakota's 1st congressional district
South Dakota's 1st congressional district is now obsolete. It existed from 1913 to 1983.When South Dakota was admitted into the Union in 1889, it was allocated two congressional seats, both of which were elected state-wide at-large...
. At the time it included all of the counties east of the Missouri River, or East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
. (The district was redrawn in 1983 to include 21 counties in the southeast part of the state.) Reifel was elected by a substantial margin; he was the first person of Lakota or Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
descent to serve in the US Congress. During the 1960s, he was the only American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
in Congress. He served for five terms as Representative from South Dakota. Regarded as a "conservative Republican," he was a thinker who prepared himself well on legislative matters. He could always give a substantial and thoughtful basis for his stand on issues.
In Congress Reifel held several committee assignments. In his first term, he was appointed to the House Agricultural Committee; in his second, to the House Committee on Appropriations. He served as the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations subcommittee on Interior Department Affairs.
He worked hard for farming interests in South Dakota and the Plains states in general, opposing cuts in farm support programs, pushing the Oahe Dam
Oahe Dam
The Oahe Dam is a large dam along the Missouri River, just north of Pierre, South Dakota in the United States. It creates Lake Oahe, the fourth largest artificial reservoir in the United States, which stretches up the course of the Missouri to Bismarck, North Dakota. The dam's powerplant provides...
to supply water for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
, and similar matters.
At the same time, he continued to work vigorously for American Indian education, with significant accomplishments. Opposing segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
, he believed that the key to ending the isolation of the Native American people was in educational programs that enrolled American Indian and non-Indian students together in modern progressive facilities (as was recommended by the 1928 Merriam Report), rather than keeping children in Indian-only boarding schools. Reifel supported the Civil Rights Act of 1968
Civil Rights Act of 1968
On April 11, 1968 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 is commonly known as the Fair Housing Act, or as CRA '68, and was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964...
and an increase in the minimum wage
Minimum wage in the United States
, the federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour. Some states and municipalities have set minimum wages higher than the federal level , with the highest state minimum wage being $8.67 in Washington. Some U.S. territories are exempt...
.
Reifel was instrumental in getting the Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science
Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science
The Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science is a United States Geological Survey data management, systems development, and research field center. It serves as the national archive of remotely sensed images of the Earth's land surface acquired by civilian satellites and aircraft...
(EROS) of the US Geological Survey located in South Dakota. In addition, he gained support to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota....
as an active military base in the state. On a broader national level, he was instrumental in securing passage of legislation to create the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
and the National Arts Council.
In 1970 Reifel decided not to seek reelection. While he intended to retire in 1971, he remained active, accepting an appointment by President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
as chair of the National Capital Planning Commission
National Capital Planning Commission
The National Capital Planning Commission is a U.S. government agency that provides planning guidance for Washington, D.C. and the surrounding National Capital Region...
, which has oversight over federal projects in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. He next served as Special Assistant for Indian programs to the Director of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
in the Department of the Interior. He also served as Interim Commissioner of Indian Affairs during the last two months of the Ford administration
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
.
Later years
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Reifel was a member of the Masons, Rotarians, and Elks. He also served on the National Council of the Protestant Episcopal ChurchEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
and the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. He also served as National president of Arrow, Inc., a Native American service organization.
In 1977, Reifel became a trustee of the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings
Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is the fourth largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 22,056 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State University, the largest institution of higher...
. He served terms as the board president in 1982-83. He established the first Native American collection at the Art Museum in 1977, donating most of his personal collection.
Legacy and honors
- 1956, Outstanding American Indian Award.
- 1960, awarded the Annual Indian Achievement Award from the Indian Council Fire.
- 1960, received the Silver Antelope AwardSilver Antelope AwardThe Silver Antelope Award is the regional-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America and recognizes outstanding service to young people within one of the four regions of the BSA...
from the Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, as well as the Gray Wolf, Silver Buffalo and Silver Beaver Awards in Scouting. - 1961, received the Distinguished Service AwardDistinguished Service AwardThe Distinguished Service Award is an ambiguous term used often to describe an organization's highest award for services and contributions. Examples include:* Distinguished Service Medal...
from the Department of the InteriorUnited States Department of the InteriorThe United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
for his career with the BIA. - Reifel received honorary doctorates from South Dakota State UniversitySouth Dakota State UniversitySouth Dakota State University is the largest university in the U.S. state of South Dakota, located in Brookings. A public land-grant university and sun grant college, founded under the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act, SDSU offers programs of study required by, or harmonious to, this Act...
, the University of South DakotaUniversity of South DakotaThe University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current...
, and Northern State College.
Marriage and family
On December 26, 1933, Reifel married his college sweetheart, Alice Janet Johnson of Erwin, South DakotaErwin, South Dakota
Erwin is a town in Kingsbury County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 45 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Erwin is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
. They had a daughter, Loyce Nadine Reifel. She married Emery Andersen. Alice Reifel died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on February 8, 1972.
Ben Reifel remarried on August 14, 1972 to Frances Colby of DeSmet, South Dakota. He died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on January 2, 1990.
External links
- "Benjamin Reifel Papers", Archives, Library of South Dakota State University