Grace Thorpe

Life and work

The story behind the role.

World War II veteran, environmentalist, tribal court judge, and Native rights activist (1921-2008).

Grace Frances Thorpe (December 10, 1921 – April 1, 2008) was an American environmentalist and Native rights activist. She served with the Women's Army Corps and received a Bronze Star Medal for her service as a Corporal in the New Guinea campaign. She attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the Antioch School of Law, and went on to become a tribal district court judge. In 1999, she received a Nuclear-Free Future Award for her opposition to storing toxic and radioactive waste on indigenous land. Her father was well-known American football player and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe. The Grace F. Thorpe Collection is held by the National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center.

Encyclopaedic excerpts from Grace Thorpe; shortened for length and available under CC BY-SA 4.0.