Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council
| Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council | |
|---|---|
Great Seal of the Navajo Nation | |
since January 23, 2023 | |
| Style | Madam Speaker (informal) Honorable Speaker (formal) |
| Status | Presiding Member of the Navajo Nation Council |
| Residence | Window Rock, AZ |
| Seat | Navajo Nation Council Chamber |
| Appointer | The Navajo Nation Council |
| Term length | Two years |
| Constituting instrument | Navajo Nation Code & Treaty of 1868 |
| Inaugural holder | Chee Dodge |
| Salary | ~$55,000.00 USD per year |
| Website | https://www.navajonationcouncil.org/speaker-otto-tso-biography/ |
The office of the speaker of the Navajo Nation Council was created in 1991 following restructuring of the Navajo Nation government.[1] The speaker is the head of the legislative branch and presides over sessions of the council.[2] The speaker of the council serve a term of two years during the administration of the incumbent president. The office of the speaker is located in Window Rock, Arizona, at the Council Chambers.
Officeholders
| No. | Speaker | Took office | Left office | Tenure | Party | Elected | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Gorman Jr. (born TBA) (Chinle) |
1995 | 1997 | 2 years | Unknown | 1995 | ||
| 2 | Kelsey Begaye (1951–2021) (Kaibito) |
1997 | 1999 | 2 years | Democratic | 1997 | ||
| 3 | Edward T. Begay (1935–2022) (Church Rock) |
January 1, 1999 | January 1, 2003 | 4 years, 0 days | Unknown | 1999 | ||
| 2001 | ||||||||
| 4 | Lawrence T. Morgan (born TBA) (Pinedale) |
January 1, 2003 | January 1, 2011 | 8 years, 0 days | Unknown | 2003 | ||
| 2005 | ||||||||
| 2007 | ||||||||
| 2009 | ||||||||
| 5 | Johnny Naize (born TBA) (Tselani/Cottonwood) |
January 2011 | September 2014[a] | 3 years, 8 months | Unknown | 2011 | ||
| 2013 | ||||||||
| 6 | Lorenzo Bates (born TBA) (Burnham) 1st time |
September 2014 | January 15, 2015 | 3–4 months | Unknown | – | ||
| 7 | Kee Allen Begay Jr. (born TBA) (TBA) |
January 15, 2015 | January 26, 2015 | 11 days | Unknown | – | ||
| 8 | Lorenzo Bates (born TBA) (Burnham) 2nd time |
January 26, 2015 | January 28, 2019 | 4 years, 2 days | Unknown | 2015 | ||
| 2017 | ||||||||
| 9 | Seth Damon (born TBA) (TBA) |
January 28, 2019 | November 4, 2022 | 3 years, 280 days | Unknown | 2019 | ||
| 2021 | ||||||||
| 10 | Otto Tso (born TBA) (Tuba City) |
November 16, 2022 | January 10, 2023 | 55 days | Unknown | – | ||
| 11 | Crystalyne Curley (born TBA) (TBA) |
January 23, 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 331 days | Unknown | 2023 | ||
Notes
- ^ Resigned from office.
See also
References
- ^ Wilkins, David E. (2013-10-25). The Navajo Political Experience. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 125–128. ISBN 978-1-4422-2669-2.
- ^ Austin, Raymond Darrel (2009). Navajo Courts and Navajo Common Law: A Tradition of Tribal Self-governance. U of Minnesota Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-8166-6535-8.