Senate Confirms Former Idaho AG for Indian Affairs: An American Indian who served as Idaho attorney general is the new head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Senate this week confirmed Larry EchoHawk, a law professor at Brigham Young University and a member of the Pawnee tribe, as Assistant Interior Secretary for Indian Affairs. President Barack Obama nominated EchoHawk for the post last month.
EchoHawk, 60, was elected Idaho attorney general in 1990 — the first American Indian ever elected as a state attorney general. He had served as a county prosecutor and two terms in the Idaho House of Representatives before that. EchoHawk was the Democratic nominee for Idaho governor in 1994, losing to Republican Phil Batt by less than 35,000 votes.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said EchoHawk has the leadership abilities, legal expertise and experience to help carry out Obama's commitment to build stronger Indian economies and safer Indian communities.
