Pierce, Maris Bryant, 1811-1874

Dates

• Existence: 1811 - 1874

Biography

Maris B. Pierce was born at “Old Town” on the Allegany Reservation in 1811. Pierce went to Thetford, Vermont, to study and prepare for college. In 1836, at the age of 25, he entered Dartmouth College, becoming a part of the first generation of college educated Haudenosaunee. The year before graduating, Pierce was appointed as one of the four Seneca attorneys representing the Tonawanda, Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Buffalo Creek Reservations in Washington, D.C. Pierce fought the Treaty of Buffalo Creek of 1838 and assisted in its renegotiation in 1842. After graduating college, he settled on the Buffalo Creek Reservation and continued his advocacy against the removal of Seneca from their lands. Pierce was appointed as the U.S. interpreter between the federal government and the Seneca Nation.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records: