Susie Peters
| Susie Peters | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Charlotte Susan Ryan November 1, 1873 Huntsville, Tennessee |
| Died | October 14, 1965 (aged 91) Anadarko, Oklahoma |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Susan Ryan Peters, Susie Swain, Susan Peters, Susie Schaffer, Susan Charlotte Peters, Susie C. Peters |
| Occupation | Indian agent and art preservationist |
| Years active | 1891-1965 |
| Known for | discovering the Kiowa Five |
Susie Peters (Kiowa Name: Kom-tah-gya) was an American preservationist and matron at the Anadarko Agency, who worked to promote Kiowa artists. Born to white parents in Tennessee, she moved to Indian Territory with her family prior to Oklahoma statehood. While working as a matron for the Indian Agency, she discovered the talent of the young artists who would become known as the Kiowa Five and introduced them to Oscar Jacobson, director of the University of Oklahoma's art department. She was honored by the National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians and both adopted by the tribe and given a Kiowa name in 1954. In 1963, the Anadarko Philomathic Club created an annual art award in her name. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in its inaugural year, 1982.
Charlotte Susan Ryan was born on 1 November 1873 in Huntsville, Tennessee to Martha (née Davis) and Thomas Granville Ryan. As a child, she moved with her family to the Chickasaw Nation in the area which would become Grady County, Oklahoma and married U.S. Deputy Marshal John Swain, on April 15, 1891 in Alex, Indian Territory. The couple moved to Purcell, Indian Territory where Susie worked as a school teacher. Swain was killed in a shoot-out over a land dispute on January 9, 1895 near Purcell and a life sized tribute to him was erected in the Purcell Cemetery by his wife. On July 20, 1897, in Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory, Swain was issued a license to marry James W. "Jim" Peters, but no marriage record was returned. A second license to marry Peters was issued on October 23, 1901, and the ceremony was performed the following day in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory. Peters was accidentally shot by the Ardmore, Indian Territory police chief, Buck Garrett on March 15, 1906, while the two men were at an informal gathering. Peters died the following day and was buried in his hometown of Newton, Kansas. For a brief time, Peters managed the Monarch Hotel located at 200 E. 2nd Street in Oklahoma City. On June 29, 1911, she married Oscar L. Shaffer in Oklahoma City, but he was also murdered.
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