Robert Tuttle

Though he has traveled all over the country and the world, Chickasaw citizen Robert Tuttle has deep roots right here in Oklahoma. The Grady County town of Tuttle was named for his grandfather, a town where his father, Holmes Tuttle, was born and raised.

Robert, a California native, counts himself lucky to have had Holmes Tuttle as a father. In 1965, Robert says, his father and two other prominent Los Angeles businessmen went to their friend Ronald Reagan and encouraged him to run for governor. Holmes was a member of Reagan's so-called Kitchen Cabinet, and he and his wife enjoyed seats in the presidential box on the day Reagan became Commander in Chief. Robert went on to serve Reagan as Assistant to the President in 1982 and Director of Presidential Personnel in 1985.

The call to serve came again in 2005, this time from President George W. Bush with an offer for the ambassadorship to the United Kingdom. Robert gladly accepted, remembering his father saying, "I'm so proud, son, of what we've been able to do for our country."

Robert continues to carry on his father's spirit, a living testament to his pride as both a Chickasaw and American citizen.