George Crook

(1828-1890) lived in Omaha. Military officer, distinguished as a Union officer during the Civil War, was prominent officer in subduing American Indian resistance on the Great Plains, known for advocating civil rights for American Indians, and during landmark 1879 trial of Ponca Chief Standing Bear at Fort Omaha, he testified in Standing Bear's defense, resulting in ruling for first time in American history that an American Indian was recognized as a person within the laws of the United States. Consult Lincoln Journal Star, December 23, 2001, p. K-2 and Omaha World Herald, May 14, 2002, pp. B-1, B-2 and American National Biography, Vol 5 (1999) 776-772.

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