Noah Seattle (or See-athl) was a chief of the Duwamish or Suquamish tribe, one of the Salish group of the Northwest Coast of North America. Born in the Puget Sound area in 1786, Seattle lived there until his death on June 7, 1866. He was baptized a Roman Catholic about 1830 and is buried in the graveyard of the Port Madison Catholic Church. Ironically, Native Americans were banned by law from living in Seattle, Washington, the city named after him, one year after the chief's death.

By most accounts, Seattle was a great orator and a skilled diplomat. Although he never fought in a war against white people, he was a warrior with a reputation for daring raids on neighboring tribes. Seattle owned eight Native American slaves, but freed them after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. He was the first to sign the Port...