| Ralph W. Sturges | |
| Birth Date: | December 25, 1918 |
| Birth Place: | New London, Connecticut |
| Death Place: | New London, Connecticut |
| Nationality: | Mohegan |
| Other Names: | G’tinemong |
Ralph Weston Sturges (December 25, 1918 - October 1, 2007) was an American Mohegan tribal chief who served as the 17th chief and who helped gain federal recognition for the Mohegan people of Connecticut in 1994.[1] He also helped to found and build Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Casino.[2] He held the title of "chief for life."[3]
The Mohegan tribe, which is based in Montville, Connecticut, is currently made up of approximately 1,700 people.[4] The Mohegan's reservation is located in eastern Connecticut along the Thames River near the town of Uncasville.[4] The Mohegans are one of the wealthiest tribes in the United States,[4] thanks to income from casinos and other facilities, whose construction was spearheaded by Sturges.
Sturges was born December 25, 1918, in New London, Connecticut.[4] He traced his Mohegan ancestry to his maternal great-grandmother,[4] Emma Baker, a Mohegan medicine woman and early 1900s Native American activist who campaigned for the state to settle Mohegan land grievances.[3]
He served in the U.S. military in an intelligence division in New Guinea and the Philippines.[4] He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in the war.[3]
Sturges worked in a number of professions before becoming active in Mohegan tribal affairs late in life. He worked as a disaster relief coordinator for the Salvation Army and a payroll deliveryman for an armored car company, among other jobs.[2]
He was a skilled and active marble sculptor. His works were placed on display at the Connecticut State Capitol and other public buildings.[3] Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell issued a statement following Sturges' death in 2007 saying, "He will be forever remembered for his contributions not only as a wise leader ... but as a skilled sculptor."[3]
Sturges was succeed as chief by Lynn Malerba in 2010.