Holland & Knight's Ben Nighthorse Campbell Receives Ellis Island Medal of Honor
May 12, 2008
Ben Nighthorse Campbell- Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a senior policy advisor in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C. office, received a 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor during a ceremony May 10, 2008 on Ellis Island. Each year, the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations Foundation, Inc. (NECO) awards the medals to a group of American citizens who exemplify a life dedicated to community service and preserve and celebrate the history, traditions and values of their ancestry.
Senator Campbell served in the United States Senate from 1993 - 2005 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 - 1993. He is one of 44 Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and was the first American Indian in history to chair the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and was the only American Indian serving in the Senate when he retired.
During his time in office, Senator Campbell was responsible for various initiatives that benefited many Americans, including the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Act, which created a matching grants program to provide bulletproof vests for police departments of all sizes, and secured funding for a wide range of projects including universities, hospitals, military construction projects, museums, and energy and water development projects.
In 1997, Senator Campbell became the first American Indian to chair the Indian Affairs Committee. Under his leadership, the committee passed more legislation than at any other similar time in history, including legislation aimed at addressing Indian health, education, economic needs, sovereignty, self-governance expansion, probate reform, Indian Arts and Crafts protections and energy development.
As a Congressman in 1987, he co-authored the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which established federal standards for the conduct of gaming activities on Indian reservations and lands. Also while serving in the U.S. House, Senator Campbell introduced legislation to authorize the creation of the National Museum of the American Indian.
Senator Campbell joins a distinguished group of past recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, including President George H. W. Bush, President William Jefferson Clinton, Colin Powell, Elie Wiesel, Rosa Parks, Bob Hope and Walter Cronkite.
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