Emily Watkins

Ely Parker, a Seneca chief, was denied admittance to the bar in 1847, despite meeting the requirements, because he was not considered a citizen.

In the face of discrimination, Parker went on to advocate for native land rights.

draft the final terms of surrender for the Civil War, become an army general, and was then appointed the first Native American commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

On Friday, he again made history as the first Native American to be posthumously admitted to the bar, according to the Seneca Nation.

Only a few attorneys of color have been posthumously recognized this way.

For NPR News, I'm Emily Watkins in Buffalo.