The Oklahoma Bar Journal September 2024

is unassuming, with a kind word and sincere friendliness toward everyone with whom she comes in contact ... the messenger boy gets as cordial a smile as does the biggest lawyer or the richest oil man.” 13 Ms. Moore was a poet at heart and displayed her ancestral pride in her literary endeavors. One of her works, “The Five Great Indian Nations,” appeared in the autumn 1951 issue of the Chronicles of Oklahoma and depicted the part played by the Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole and Creek Indian tribes on behalf of the con federacy in the Civil War. 14 Another of her works, “Lines on an Indian Face,” written in 1907, gives a “sen sitive perspective on the decimation of the Native American culture.” 15 Following the death of Jessie Elizabeth Randolph Moore on Oct. 7, 1956, Muriel H. Wright wrote an article for the Chronicles of Oklahoma commemorating her life. Ms. Wright noted, “Oklahoma has lost one of its best loved and revered pioneer women. Ms. Moore was known far and wide over the state for her devotion and her contribu tions to the history of Oklahoma.” 16 According to her obituary, Ms. Moore’s contributions to public life made her one of the state’s leading women in its development, as well as a guiding spirit in its attainments, and in the growth of the Oklahoma Historical Society, serving as a member of the Board of Directors for 37 years and as treasurer for 35 years, becoming a lifetime member in 1920. She possessed “fine executive abilities and staunch loyalty,” and “yet her tal ents lay in her inquiring mind and her choice of words in expressing her thoughts.” 17 Ms. Moore’s pride in her Chickasaw heritage was recognized at her funeral, where

she requested that the pallbearers be selected from persons of Chickasaw descent. Among the pallbearers were Chickasaw Nation Gov. Floyd Maytubby and Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Earl Welch. At her funeral, Haskell Paul – of the pioneer Paul family of Pauls Valley – paid tribute to Ms. Moore as “one of Oklahoma’s heroic women,” saying she was coura geous, generous and humble with a strong intellect. He noted that it was in Pauls Valley that she was first recognized for her great char acter, which would later be appre ciated by all Oklahoma citizens. Mr. Haskell’s mother, Victoria Paul, who had known Ms. Moore for 60 years, said she was always a lady who “could look the world in the face with a clear conscience.” 18 1. Muriel H. Wright, “Jessie Elizabeth Randolph Moore of the Chickasaw Nation,” Chronicles of Oklahoma , XXXIV (Winter, 1956-57), Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1957, p. 393. 2. Ex parte Bonitz, 30 Okla. Crim. 45, 234 P. 780 (Okla. Crim. App. 1925). 3. Vetrus K. Hampton, “A Woman Masters a Big State Department,” Harlow’s Weekly , p. 5a. 4. Id. 5. Id. 6. Id. 7. Id. 8. “Retired Court Clerk, Political Figure is Dead,” The Daily Oklahoman , Oct. 8, 1956. 9. Id. 10. Wright, p. 394. 14. Jessie Elizabeth Randol Moore, “The Five Great Indian Nations,” Chronicles of Oklahoma , XXIX (Autumn 1951), Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1951, p. 324. 15. Judge Candace L. Blalock, letter to Judge Reta M. Strubhar. 16. Wright, p. 392. 17. Id. 18. Id ., p. 395. 11. Id. 12. Id. 13. Hampton, p.394. ENDNOTES Individual Sources: Judge Candace L. Blalock Jayne N. Montgomery Judge Reta M. Strubhar

Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff.

16 | SEPTEMBER 2024

THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL