Billy Frank Jr.

Billy Frank Junior was born on the Nisqually Reservation, Washington in 1931 to parents Willie and Angeline Frank. His father, known as Qui-Lash-Kut, lived to the age of 104, while his mother, Angeline, lived into her 90s. Frank spent his formative years on a six-acre property called Frank's Landing, situated along the Nisqually River. His father had purchased this land after the family's forced relocation from their reservation due to the expansion of an adjacent Army base. Frank received his education in Olympia, concluding his formal schooling upon completing the ninth grade. He subsequently worked in construction during the day and engaged in fishing during the night. In 1952, at the age of 21, Frank joined the US Marine Corps, serving two years. == Activism ==

Frank's journey as an activist began in 1945 when he was arrested at the age of 14 while fishing on the Nisqually River. Frank was fishing for salmon when two game wardens confronted him. Allegedly, they forcibly pressed his face into the mud as he resisted. This incident marked the start of Frank's involvement in civil disobedience. In the 1950s, his motivations for engaging in illegal fishing were not primarily politically driven, unlike other activists such as Robert Satiacum, who actively pursued legal cases related to illegal fishing. In 1963, Frank formed a lasting partnership with Native rights activist and strategist Hank Adams. "Fish-ins" Based on treaties negotiated with the U.S. government in the 1850s, tribal nations in western Washington retained the right to fish, hunt, and gather shellfish at their customary places, shared with all U.S. citizens. However, when tribal members sought to exercise these treaty rights outside of reservations, they faced arrests for fishing in violation of state laws. By the 1960s, salmon populations had significantly declined due to unregulated commercial fishing and the construction of hydroelectric infrastructure. Frank emerged as a key leader in the "fish-in" protests that unfolded during the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 1970s. These demonstrations gained nationwide attention and even attracted participation from celebrities; notably, actor Marlon Brando was arrested during one of these protests in 1964. What initially began as a conflict over fishing quotas evolved into a movement for conservation and habitat protection. As a result of the efforts of Frank and other activists in the Fish Wars, tribal communities began working more closely with government officials in joint efforts to preserve natural resources. These foundations, coupled with the acknowledgment by United States government officials of tribal rights as defined in their treaties with the United States, fostered an intergovernmental partnership between the two groups. ==Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission==

2025) In 1975, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) was established to support the natural resource management activities of the 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Headquartered in Olympia, Washington, with additional offices in Forks and Mount Vernon, the NWIFC was chaired by Frank for over three decades, from 1981 until his passing on May 5, 2014. The commission's staff of 65 individuals assists member tribes in various endeavors, including fish health, salmon management planning, and habitat protection. Serving as a platform for tribes to address shared concerns, the NWIFC also serves as a mechanism for tribes to speak with a unified voice in Washington, D.C. ==Titles==

Frank held several different titles in his career. ==Honors and awards==

• Common Cause Award (1985), for his human rights efforts • Washington State Environmental Excellence Award (1987), on behalf of the State Ecological Commission and other tribes. • American Indian Distinguished Service Award (1989) • Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award (1990), for humanitarian achievement • Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism (1992) • American Indian Visionary Award (2004), from Indian Country Today for "exceptional contributions to Indian American freedom." • In November 2015, Frank was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House. • In 2015 the City of Bellingham changed the name of "Indian Street" near the Western Washington University campus to "Billy Frank Jr. Street". • In 2023, the United States Navy announced that the future USNS Billy Frank Jr., a Navajo-class rescue and salvage ship would be named in honor or him. ==Legacy==

On April 14, 2021, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a law to honor Frank with a statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection, to replace the statue of missionary Marcus Whitman. The bronze statue will be tall and depict Frank sitting on a riverbank with jumping salmon. It is planned to be sculpted by Hai Ying Wu and will be the first statue in the National Statuary Hall to depict a contemporary Native American as well as the first to be created by a Chinese American artist. A preliminary model was unveiled in 2024 and the statue is scheduled to be installed at the U.S. Capitol and State Capitol in 2025. == Further reading ==