Chairman of Seminole Tribe in the 1970s

Howard Tommie, who helped usher in a new age of self-sufficiency for the Seminole Tribe as its chairman in the 1970s, died Friday in a car accident, according to his family.

Tommie, 78, of Okeechobee, apparently lost control of his vehicle after suffering a medical incident, according to authorities, and crashed into another vehicle outside The Mall at Wellington Green.

Tommie’s daughter Karen Two Shoes said he suffered from heart disease for about a decade and was on medication.

Two Shoes said her father was likely out shopping for his two small grandchildren at the time of the accident. “He was looking to buy trees for them,” she said.

After serving as an infantryman in the U.S. Army and working as a cattle herder, a caddie, a welder and a truck driver, among other jobs, Tommie was hired as the director of the Tribe’s Neighborhood Youth Corps.

Tommie excelled at that job and in 1971 was elected as the Seminole Tribe’s Chairman of the Tribal Council and Vice President of the Board of Directors, becoming the head of government for the tribe at age 33.

The tribe was receiving government subsidies but Tommie focused on economic independence, looking for a way for it to generate its own revenue, said Gary Bitner, spokesman for the tribe.

“During his time as chair, the tribe tested the issue of tax on tobacco, and that became the forerunner to Indian gaming and the

Gary Bitner,

tribe not being subject to state tax,” Bitner said.

Two Shoes said her father challenged the establishment.

“He was a very forward-thinking person,” she said. “Our treaties didn’t say you can’t do this, so he wanted to challenge the system. It was always about bettering our tribe and our people across the country.”

The tribe now operates seven casinos throughout Florida and generates more than $2 billion in annual revenue. It has about 4,100 members.

Two Shoes described her father as fiercely independent all his life. He relied on a cane or a walker in public later in life, but in private he used a wheelchair. He remained active, seeking out real estate opportunities in Oklahoma and spending time with his large family in South Florida.

In addition to his daughter, Tommie is survived by his wife Dorothy Tommie, his son Clinton Tommie, and two grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m today at the First Seminole Baptist Church, 4701 Stirling Road, Hollywood.

SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA/COURTESY Howard Tommie died Friday in a car accident outside The Mall at Wellington Green.