Presidents

David Morgan: 1935-1940

David Morgan, a school teacher form Hoonah, was the first president of the Central Council. Morgan served as president from when it was organized until 1940. During the period of his leadership the organization concentrated primarily on trying to raise money to press the land claims suit.

Andrew Percy Hope: 1940-1966

Andrew Percy Hope was for many years a boat builder in Sitka, Alaska. Many fishing boats active in the industry today were constructed by Hope. He was long active in the Alaska Native Brotherhood and was a charter member of Camp No.1, organized in 1912. In 1922, he was elected Grand Camp President, and was active on the Grand Camp Executive Committee. Hope was first elected to the territorial house of Representatives in 1944. He served the the Territorial Legislature for a number of terms, and also served in the first State Legislature. Hope, along with Frank Johnson and a number of other leaders, guided the Central Council through its early years. Hope served as President for 25 years, and his contributions to the Tlingit and Haida people and the Central Council, are beyond measure.

Ted Denny: 1966-1967

Ted Denny became active in the Central Council when the Seattle Community Council was organized in the late 1950's. He was elected delegate to the Central Council, and shortly thereafter was elected President of his community council. Andrew Hope and Mr. Denny successfully lobbied Congress to amend the Jurisdictional Act of 1935. Denny served one complete term as Central Council President. Denny was a graduate of Averswalds Business College of Seattle. He served as senior accountant for Pacific Northern Airlines and then Western Airlines. He was president of the Pacific Northern Airlines Federal Credit Union, and was a member of the supervisory committee of Western Air Federal Credit Union. Denny also worked as a consultant for the State of Alaska. In 1972 he became chief certifying officer of enrollment for the BIA in Anchorage, Alaska.

John Borbridge, Jr.: 1967-1972

John Borbridge, Jr. was raised in Southeast Alaska and graduated from Juneau High School. He attended Sheldon Jackson Junior College in Sitka, Alaska. Borbridge graduated from the Univeristy of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He attended graduate school at the University of Washington in Seattle. During his six years as President of the Central Council, he was instrumental in efforts to settle the Alaska Native land claims, serving as chief lobbyist for Southeast Alaska. Borbridge was also a lobbyist for Alaska Federation of Natives. In 1972, following the enactment of ANCSA, Borbridge was elected President and Chairman of the Board of Sealaska Corporation. He served as President of Sealaska Corporation until 1978. Borbridge was appointed by the United States Congress to serve as a Commissioner ont he American Indian Policy Review Commission from 1975 to 1977. He received a Presidential appointment to serve at the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the Alaska Federation of Natives, and as an AFN Vice-president.

Clarence Jackson, Sr.:1972-1976 (check back soon for photo)

Clarence Jackson, Sr. is a merchant and commercial fisherman from Kake, Alaska. He was one of the five incorporators of Sealaska, and has served as Sealaska Director. Jackson has served as President and Chairman of the Board of the Southeast Native Timber Corporation, as a director of the Kake Tribal Corporation, Vice President of the Kake IRA Council, President of Southeast Alaska Community Action Program, Area Vice President of the National Congress of American Indians, and Commissioner of the Tlingit and Haida Regional Housing Authority. Jackson has also served on the Board of Advisors for Sheldon Jackson College, and on the Fisheries Advisory Board for the Kake area.

Raymond E. Paddock, Jr.: 1976-1980

Raymond E. Paddock, Jr. was born and raised in Southeast Alaska. From 1955 until 1968, Paddock served as analyst and electronics technician in the U.S. Air Force Intelligence. Following his military service he settled near Washington, D.C. His first employment in civilian life was a computer systems analyst. In 1971 he was hired by the National Congress of American Indians as a publicity director. Other responsibilities soon followed, most notably as assignment to eliminate the serious debt of the organization. Early in 1972, Paddock was hired by U.S. Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska, as legislative aide. The following year he went on to serve as a full time staff member of the U.S. Senate Public Works Committee. He worked on a number of important subcommittee assignments. In August of 1973, Paddock returned to Alaska to become Executive Director of the Central Council, a position he served in until late 1975.

Andrew "John" Hope, Jr.: 1980-1984

Andrew "John" Hope Jr. has been actively involved as a delegate to the Central Council since 1968. Hope was formerly employed by the BIA as a Tribal Operations Officer, "638" Coordinator, and as Temporary Area Director. Hope joined the Angoon Camp No.7 ANB in 1945 and was elected as first Grand Camp Secretary. He was elected Grand Camp President in 1962 and 1963. He served as parliamentarian of the Grand Camp, and was appointed parliamentarian of AFN in 1967 and served for over twenty years. He also served as parliamentarian for Calista, Doyon, the Aleut Corporation, and the National Congress of American Indians.

Edward K. Thomas: 1984-2007

Administrator, teacher, and fisherman, Edward Thomas was born and raised in Craig, Alaska. He received an Associates Degree in Science from Sheldon Jackson College, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and a Masters degree in Education from Pennsylvania State University. Thomas has served as Chairman of the Board of the Shaan-Seet Corporation of Craig, President of the Southeast Alaska IRA Councils and as First Vice President of the ANB Grand Camp. During the early 1970's Thomas worked as a classroom teacher in Klawock and as a high school counselor in Craig. After receiving his master's degree, he took a job as Indian Education Counselor in Sitka. He then worked as Indian Education Director in Ketchikan.

William E. Martin: 2007-2010

William Martin, Xaawusteen, was born in Petersburg, Alaska. He is Tlingit of the Tsaagweidi clan, Eagle/Killerwhale. Martin served as the president of the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Tribes from 2007-2010. Prior to serving as president, Martin worked as an Operations Manager for Tlingit Haida Technology Industries from 2003-2005, a programmer for MVS mainframe systems, IBM and Affiliated Computer Corporation 1986-2003 and a customer service representative for hardware systems at IBM 1965-1986. Other offices that Martin has held include 1st and 5th Vice President of Central Council, President of the Juneau and San Francisco Tlingit & Haida Community Councils, Chair of both the Alaska State Suicide Prevention Council and the Intertribal Monitoring Association (ITMA), and as Alaska Area Vice President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

Edward K. Thomas: 2010-2014

Richard J. Peterson: 2014-Current

Chalyee Eesh (Richard Peterson) is Tlingit from the Kaagwaantaan clan. Richard grew up in Kasaan, Alaska and is a life long Alaska Native resident of Southeast Alaska. Prior to being elected as president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, he served in the capacity of CEO of Prince of Wales Tribal Enterprise Consortium, LLC (POWTEC) since 2008, president of the Organized Village of Kasaan (OVK) since 1998, mayor/city council member since 1996, and member of the Southeast Island School District Board of Education since 2003. He has been a delegate to the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) since 2000.

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