Strong, Ted (Theodore), 1947-2024

Biographical note

Theodore Strong was born on the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington state in 1947, and was an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation. He attended Drawn’s Business College in Dallas, Texas, and later studied at the Tacoma Technical Institute in Washington and Eastern Montana College, now Montana State University, in Billings. He was comptroller for the the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and president of the Native American Finance Officers Association. From 1990 to 1999, he served as executive director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC). During his tenure, CRITFC developed a salmon restoration plan, called Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit ("Spirit of the Salmon), and presented it to members of Congress. In 1993, Strong was appointed to the President's Council on Sustainable Development by President Bill Clinton, and served as co-chair of the council's Natural Resources Task Force. He later served as chief judge of the Yakama Tribal Court, director of the Yakama Tribal Housing Authority, and director of the Yakima Chief Hops Association. Strong died in 2024.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Strong in his interview; “In Memoriam: Yakama leader Ted Strong,” by Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore News, February 20, 2024; "In Memoriam: Ted Strong," Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission website, January 31, 2024 (accessed January 2026), https://critfc.org/2024/01/31/in-memoriam-ted-strong/.

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