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Title
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W. Richard West Jr.
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Creator
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W. Richard West Jr.
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Description
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Richard West was the founding Director of the National Museum of the American Indian, serving from the museum's opening in 2004 until 2007. West is a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and a Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne. He has devoted much of his professional and personal life to American Indian cultural, educational, legal, and governmental issues. West supported a broad scope for the museum, representing the wide cultural and ethnic diversities of Native Americans, both through historical collections and exhibits and through living history presentations.
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Coverage
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2000-present
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birthday
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01/06/1943
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Birthplace
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San Bernardino, California
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Biographical Text
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W. Richard West Jr. is a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma and a Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne. His father, Richard "Dick" West, was a prominent Cheyenne painter. An excellent student, West received a BA from the University of Redlands, an MA from Harvard, and a JD from Stanford. As a lawyer, West worked on a wide range of both tribal and non-tribal cases, arguing before state, federal, and tribal courts. In addition to this work, West also served on the board of the American Association of Museums in several capacities beginning in 1992. West was selected as the first Director of the National Museum of the American Indian, which opened in September 2004, and served in this position until 2007. Today, West is the Interim Director of the Textile Museum, located at 2320 S Street NW, Washington, DC.
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Source
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Wikimedia Commons. View original photograph.
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Occupation
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Museum administrator
