Ben Nighthorse Campbell

Ben Nighthorse Campbell (born April 13, 1933) is an American politician. He was a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 until 2005 and was for some time the only Native American serving in the U.S. Congress. Campbell was a U.S. Representative from 1987 to 1993, when he was sworn into office as a Senator following his election on November 3, 1992. Campbell also serves as one of the 44 member Council of Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Nation.

Early life and military service

Campbell was born in Auburn, California. His mother, Mary Vierra, was a Portuguese immigrant who had come to the U.S. at age six. There Vierra's family settled in the large Portuguese community near Sacramento. When Vierra contracted tuberculosis in her youth, she met at the hospital Albert Campbell, a Northern Cheyenne Indian. He was at the hospital for alcoholism treatment. The couple later married, and Ben Nighthorse Campbell was born in 1933.

Related Topics:
Auburn - California - Portuguese - Sacramento - Tuberculosis - Alcoholism

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During Campbell's childhood, his father continued to have problems with alcoholism, often leaving the family for weeks and months at a time. His mother continued to have health problems, with tuberculosis, a highly contagious disease that limited the contact she could have with her children. These problems led to Ben and his sister Alberta spending much of their early lives in orphanages.

Related Topics:
Tuberculosis - Orphanages

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Campbell attended Placer High School, dropping out in 1951 to join the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Korea during the Korean War; he left the Air Force in 1953 with the rank of Airman Second Class, as well as the Korean Service Medal and the Air Medal.

Related Topics:
1951 - U.S. Air Force - Korea - Korean War - 1953 - Korean Service Medal - Air Medal

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