Researching Fred Waite

As a young man, Waite left Indian Territory to work as a cowboy in the New Mexico Territory. While working for John Tunstall as a ranch hand, he met Bill Bonney and several other men. After Tunstall was killed in the Lincoln County War, Bonney, Waite and the others pursued Tunstall's killers as vigilantes, calling themselves the Regulators. As they turned to criminal activities, they became known as the "Billy the Kid gang."

In 1880 at about age 27, Waite left the gang and returned to the Chickasaw Nation to build a more settled life. He married, became a rancher, and started a family. He lived a law-abiding life thereafter and became involved in Choctaw and Chickasaw politics. He was elected to the Chickasaw legislature both as a representative and as a senator. When serving as a representative, he was elected for three sessions as Speaker of the House. He was appointed by the council and chief as Attorney General of the Chickasaw Nation. He died of rheumatism at the age of 42.

Born in Dunedin, Waite was a farmer at the outbreak of the First World War. He joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) and served in the Gallipoli Campaign, during which he received the Distinguished Service Order. He was evacuated from Gallipoli due to sickness and repatriated to New Zealand, where he saw out the war as an instructor in NZEF training camps. He wrote a history of New Zealand's military efforts during the Gallipoli Campaign that was published in 1919. He returned to his farm and soon became involved in politics, joining the Reform Party. In 1925 he was elected Member of Parliament for the Clutha electorate, serving two terms. He was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1934. During the Second World War, Waite was overseas commissioner for the National Patriotic Fund Board and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services in this role. Two years later he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. He died in 1952 at the age of 67.