Shannon county in 1924

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I found this rather odd. Shannon, SD was Coolidge's 3rd best county in the country. He got 88.89% there. This election, it was Kerry's best county in the country outside of DC, he got almost 85%. Since it's an Indian Reservation, this means Native Americans likely were voting Republican back in the 20s. Why was that?

[minionofmidas]

Some reservations were voting Republican, others were voting Democratic. Which is essentially still true, except there's more Dem ones now.
Often due to what President did something important for the nation in question way back at some point.
Also, what was turnout on Shannon in 1924? IIRC that's just after the Indian Citizenship Act, so it would be the first election that the Sioux were allowed to vote in.

[Kodratos]

What are some Republican reservations?

[minionofmidas]

Eastern Cherokee (I think).
Metlakatla (in Alaska).
Quite a few tiny ones.
And of course, almost all the "reservations" that have actually been overrun by White settlement but continue to nominally exist - although these shouldn't be counted. (Even among those, Isabella (MI) votes marginally Democrat.)
I'm not sure about Hopi...I think they're not voting at all but I may be wrong.
Other rezs have once had Republican voting traditions but don't anymore. I think this applies to some of the NM Pueblos, for instance.
And of course some OK tribes vote Republican, but they don't have reservations any more.
Others have or used to have Democrat and Republican factions with very few swing voters. I believe this is true on the AZ Apache reservations, San Carlos and White River/Fort Apache.

[minionofmidas]

Hopi IR has 4500 voting-age inhabitants, and the part of Navaho County included in the 2nd CD (I'm not sure if that's basically or exactly the same as Hopi IR) has seven hundred votes cast for Representative. These are 76% Democratic, though.

[Nym90]

Some reservations were voting Republican, others were voting Democratic. Which is essentially still true, except there's more Dem ones now.
Often due to what President did something important for the nation in question way back at some point.
Also, what was turnout on Shannon in 1924? IIRC that's just after the Indian Citizenship Act, so it would be the first election that the Sioux were allowed to vote in.

Yes, prior to 1924 no votes were cast in Shannon County. That was the first election in which it voted.

It swung to Smith in 1928, however, but then remained a battleground up through the 1950's before becoming solidly Democratic in the 1960's.

[minionofmidas]

And we all know what was going on on Pine Ridge in the late sixties to mid-seventies...
Well, I hope we all know.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Eastern Cherokee is in Swain County, NC IIRC. I think there's precinct results from 2000... I'll have a look

[Filuwaúrdjan]

                                   Margin   Bush     Gore      Nader

Absentee 663 2 1 67 10.11%  44.34%  54.45%  1.21% 294 361  8
Alarka 385 1 2 60 15.58%  57.40%  41.82%  0.78% 221 161  3
Almond 534 1 2 131 24.53%  61.42%  36.89%  1.69% 328 197  9
Bc1 867 1 2 50 5.77%  52.25%  46.48%  1.27% 453 403  11
Bc2 1,019 1 2 64 6.28%  52.80%  46.52%  0.69% 538 474  7
Prov 1 0 1 1 100.00%  0.00%  100.00%  0.00% 0 1  0
Whch 901 2 1 110 12.21%  43.29%  55.49%  1.22% 390 500  11
Total 4,370 1 2 127 2.91%  50.89%  47.99%  1.12% 2,224 2,097  49

[Schmitz in 1972]

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with how Coolidge took all those vacations in the Black Hills and had all those pictures of him in Indian bonnets taken

[PBrunsel]

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with how Coolidge took all those vacations in the Black Hills and had all those pictures of him in Indian bonnets taken

Bingo! Good job Liberty, you beat me too it.

[minionofmidas]

Never heard of Coolidge in that respect, but T.R. was very popular among Native Americans - he visited quite a lot of reservations, usually as the first president to do so.
(In the 19th century, the Presidents used to invite elderly tribal leaders to Washington instead...because Congress usually paid only part of the expenses, most made some extra money on the trip by appearing in Circuses, Rodeos etc.)

[PBrunsel]

Herbert Hoover was also quite popular amongst Native Americans. Not only did he half a running mate his mothew was a Kaw Indian, biut Hoover himself spent lots of time on indian reservations as a child in Oregon.

[minionofmidas]

Herbert Hoover was also quite popular amongst Native Americans. Not only did he half a running mate his mothew was a Kaw Indian, biut Hoover himself spent lots of time on indian reservations as a child in Oregon.

Not that being related to an Indian Agent was popular among Indians.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Herbert Hoover was also quite popular amongst Native Americans. Not only did he half a running mate his mothew was a Kaw Indian, biut Hoover himself spent lots of time on indian reservations as a child in Oregon.

heh, I just knew you would have to sneak a Herbert Hoover fact in there.

[Nym90]

Herbert Hoover was also quite popular amongst Native Americans. Not only did he half a running mate his mothew was a Kaw Indian, biut Hoover himself spent lots of time on indian reservations as a child in Oregon.

Well he did lose Shannon county which Coolidge won, though not nearly by as much as Republicans lose it today, of course.