William W. Hastings
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1935
Preceded by	Alice Robertson
Succeeded by	John Nichols
In office March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1921
Preceded by	Dick Morgan
Succeeded by	Alice Robertson
Personal details
Born	William Wirt Hastings (1866-12-31)December 31, 1866 Benton County, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	April 8, 1938(1938-04-08) (aged 71) Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.
Resting place	City Cemetery, Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Nationality	American Cherokee Nation
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Lula Mayfield Starr
Children	4
Education	Cherokee Male Seminary Vanderbilt University (LLB)

William Wirt Hastings (December 31, 1866 – April 8, 1938) was an American lawyer, educator and politician who served nine terms as a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma between 1915 and 1935.

Born on a farm in Benton County, Arkansas, near the Indian Territory boundary, Hastings was the son of William Archibald "Yell" and Louisa J. Stover Hastings, and moved with his parents to a farm at Beatties Prairie, Delaware County (then part of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory), Oklahoma, and attended the Cherokee tribal school. He graduated from Cherokee Male Seminary, at Tahlequah, in 1884. He was married to Lula Mayfield Starr on December 9, 1896, and they had four children, Grace, Lucile, Mayme, and Lillian.^[1]

Hastings was a teacher in the Cherokee tribal schools from 1884 to 1886. He graduated from the law department of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1889. Admitted to the bar in the same year he began his practice in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He was again a teacher in the tribal schools from 1889 to 1891. He served as Attorney general for the Cherokee Nation from 1891 to 1895, and as National attorney for the Cherokee tribe from 1907 to 1914. He served as delegate to the Democratic State convention in 1912, as well as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1912.^[2]

Elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-fourth, Sixty-fifth, and Sixty-sixth Congresses, Hastings served from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1921.^[3] During that time, he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Interior (Sixty-fifth Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920 to the Sixty-seventh Congress, losing to Republican Alice Mary Robertson. This was the first time in history that an incumbent U.S. Congressman was defeated by a female candidate.

Hastings was elected to the Sixty-eighth and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1923, to January 3, 1935.^[4] Not a candidate for renomination in 1934, he resumed practicing law in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Through his efforts, Tahlequah had received an Indian hospital as a Christmas present in 1935. Hastings returned to public life briefly when he was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a Cherokee Chief for one day to sign a new deed when an error was found in the old abstract.^{[5][better source needed]}

Hastings died on April 8, 1938 (age 71 years, 98 days), in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He is interred in City Cemetery, Tahlequah, Oklahoma.^[6]

• List of Native Americans in the United States Congress

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Wirt Hastings.

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Hastings, William
• William Wirt Hastings at Find a Grave

• United States Congress. "William Wirt Hastings (id: H000333)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

v t e Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma
1st district	McGuire Davenport Chandler Howard Chandler Howard Montgomery Howard O'Connor Disney Schwabe Gilmer Schwabe Belcher Jones Inhofe Largent Sullivan Bridenstine Hern
2nd district	Fulton Morgan Hastings Robertson Hastings Nichols Stigler Edmondson McSpadden Risenhoover Synar Coburn Carson D. Boren Mullin Brecheen
3rd district	Davenport Creager Davenport Carter Cartwright Stewart Albert Watkins Brewster Watkins Lucas
4th district	Carter Murray McKeown Pringey McKeown Gassaway L. Boren G. Johnson Steed McCurdy Watts Cole
5th district	Ferris Thompson Harreld Swank Stone Swank Lee Hill G. Smith Monroney Jarman Edwards Istook Fallin Lankford Russell Horn Bice
6th district	Ferris Gensman Thomas J. Johnson Sr. Morris Wickersham Morris Wickersham J. Johnson Jr. J. Smith Camp English Lucas
7th district	McClintic Massingale Wickersham Peden Wickersham
8th district	Morgan Swindall Herrick Garber Marland Ferguson Rizley Wilson Belcher
At-large	Murray  Thompson Weaver Rogers
Territory	Harvey Flynn Callahan Flynn McGuire

Authority control databases
International	FAST VIAF WorldCat
National	United States
People	US Congress
Other	SNAC