Wanda Hatfield (née Claphan) is a Cherokee educator and politician who served as an At-Large Tribal Councilor for the Cherokee Nation from 2015 to 2019.
Wanda Hatfield | |
|---|---|
| Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor for the at-large district | |
| In office August 14, 2015 – August 13, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Julia Coates |
| Succeeded by | Julia Coates |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wanda Claphan Tahlequah, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Citizenship | Cherokee Nation United States |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Oklahoma |
Career
editWanda Hatfield was born at WW Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and grew up in the Cherry Tree Community in Stilwell, Oklahoma.[1] She is the daughter of the Jack Claphan and Carolyn Doublehead Claphan.[1] Her great-great-grandfather, Rabbit Bunch, served as the Cherokee Nation assistant principal chief from 1880 to 1887.[1] Hatfield graduated from Stilwell High School and earned a B.S. in education from the University of Oklahoma.[2] Hatfield married Roger Hatfield and they had one daughter.[1]
For 28 years, Hatfield taught in the Shawnee and Mid-Del School Districts.[2] In 2015, Hatfield ran for the at-large seat of the Council of the Cherokee Nation.[3] She finished first ahead of Betsy Swimmer and Shane Jett. Hatfield received 1,057 votes, Swimmer 770 votes, and Jett 717 votes.[3][4] She assumed the position on August 14, 2015.[5] She succeeded Julia Coates who was term-limited.[5] As an At-Large councilor, Hatfield represented Cherokee Nation citizens living outside the tribe's 14-county jurisdiction in northeastern Oklahoma.[6]
During her term, Hatfield was involved in sponsoring legislation, with records showing she sponsored 59 pieces of legislation during her time on the council.[7] She ran for re-election in 2019, seeking to retain her At-Large seat.[8] However, her campaign faced controversy when she was disqualified by the Cherokee Nation Election Commission on April 18, 2019.[8] The disqualification came after a hearing and was related to Hatfield sending checks worth $500 to Cherokee communities in Oregon and California.[9] Following her disqualification, Coates, who had previously held the At-Large seat, ran for the position again and won, returning to the Tribal Council in August 2019.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Wanda Hatfield". Wanda Hatfield. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b "Education". Wanda Hatfield. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b "Cherokee Nation Councilor Candidates Face Runoff Election". KGOU Radio. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. July 3, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ "Recount underway in Cherokee Nation council election after one-vote margin recorded". Tulsa World. Tulsa, Oklahoma. July 2, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Jackson, Tesina (July 26, 2015). "Hatfield wins At-Large Tribal Council seat". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ "2016 Annual Report to the Cherokee People" (PDF). Cherokee Nation. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Council of the Cherokee Nation - Wanda Hatfield". cherokee.legistar.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b Rowley, D. Sean (2019-04-19). "Cherokee Nation Election Commission disqualifies Hatfield". cherokeephoenix.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ "Cherokee Nation tribal councilor tossed from ballot". Tahlequah Daily Press. 2019-04-19. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ Bark, Lindsey (2019-07-28). "Coates wins At-Large seat in July 27 runoff". cherokeephoenix.org. Retrieved 2024-09-07.