Roy I. Wilson was born on the Yakama Reservation in 1927. His parentage was English on his mother’s side and Native on his dad’s.

Roy became chair of the Cowlitz Tribe in 1973, serving in that capacity when the Cowlitz land claim settlement was signed by the U.S. government. In that same era the Cowlitz Tribe began its quest for federal acknowledgement under a newly created program. Federal acknowledgement was achieved in the year 2000.

When John Barnett succeeded Roy as tribal chair in 1982, he became the Tribe’s official spiritual leader. Roy served in that highly visible capacity until 2018. He was named lifetime Honorary Chief in 2002 and spent many years as chair of the Cultural Resources Board of the Tribe.