Blackfeet Tribal Chief Earl Old Person dies of cancer at 92

BROWNING, Mont. (AP) — Blackfeet Chief and former tribal chairman Earl Old Person has died of cancer. He was 92. The tribe announced Old Person died Wednesday at Blackfeet Community Hospital. Old Person was elected to the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council in 1954 and served for over 60 years. He was chairman for over 50 years. The tribe said he was the longest serving elected tribal official in the country. He was named the tribe’s chief in 1978. Tribal officials said Old Person met many dignitaries, including every U.S. president since Dwight Eisenhower. He worked to preserve tribal traditions and fought to block oil and gas development in a wilderness area south of the reservation.