A confederate soldier, pioneer merchant, rancher, newspaper publisher, and town builder, George Washington Grayson also served for six decades as a leader of the Creek Nation. His life paralleled the most tumultuous events in Creek Indian and Oklahoma history, from the aftermath of the Trail of Tears through World War I.

As a diplomat representing the Creek people, Grayson worked to shape Indian policy. As a cultural broker, he explained its ramifications to his people. A self-described progressive who advocated English education, constitutional government, and economic development,...