Jane Austin McCurtain
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Hokni Jane Austin McCurtain | |
|---|---|
 McCurtain in 1913 | |
| Custodian of the Choctaw Council House | |
| In office 1907–1924 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Superintendent of Jones Academy | |
| In office 1894–1898 | |
| Preceded by | Simon T. Dwight |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 19, 1842 |
| Died | October 27, 1924 (aged 82) Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Citizenship | Choctaw Nation American |
| Party | Progressive Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Wheelock Female Academy Edgeworth Seminary |
| Occupation | teacher, political advisor |
Jane Austin McCurtain (August 19, 1842 – October 27, 1924) was a Choctaw educator and political advisor within the Choctaw Nation, known for her influence on educational and tribal governance throughout her life. Serving as a close advisor to her husband, chief Jackson McCurtain, and later to his successors, she held key roles in Choctaw education, including as superintendent of Jones Academy, and remained active in Choctaw political affairs until her death, serving as custodian of the Choctaw Council House in Tuskahoma.
Jane Austin was born on August 19, 1842, in Doaksville, Choctaw Nation near Fort Towson, to Lewis Austin, a full-blood Choctaw with mechanical inclinations who owned mills, gins, and a tannery, and Mollie Webster, who was of mixed Choctaw and white ancestry.[1][2][3] Her parents had relocated west as part of the Trail of Tears.[4] Her father established the first shoe factory in Indian Territory.[1] Her family prioritized education, and at age eleven in 1853, McCurtain attended the Wheelock Female Academy, a school founded by reverend Alfred Wright in 1832 to prepare Choctaw girls to be Christian women.[2] McCurtain's academic performance at Wheelock earned her a scholarship to Edgeworth’s Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3]
In 1860, as tensions of the American Civil War grew, she returned home from Edgeworth Seminary in what became a two-month journey back to her Choctaw homeland.[3]