Reginald "Rex" W. Quinn served as Superintendent of the Seminole Agency in Hollywood, Florida, from 1965 until his retirement in 1968. A Sisseton Sioux, he was born April 27, 1913 in South Dakota and spent the majority of his adult life working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, beginning in 1935. His field work with the BIA took him around the country to locations such as Nevada, South Dakota, North Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C. He served in several positions throughout his career, and by the 1950s he had become one of the BIA's leading experts in the development of tribal constitutions.
In 1956, he was appointed Chief Tribal Operations Officer for the BIA. In this position, Quinn worked closely with the Seminole Tribe in 1957 when it organized its Tribal Council and Board of Directors under a new constitution and charter. This relationship with the tribe eventually led to his appointment as Superintendent of the Seminole Agency in 1965. As Superintendent, he worked closely with tribal leaders such as Billy Osceola and the members of the Seminole Reservations at Brighton, Big Cypress, and Hollywood (Dania). His work focused on areas such as the Seminole cattle program, land use, housing, education, and tribal government, among other issues.
From the guide to the Rex Quinn Papers, 1892-1970, 1950-1968, (Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida)
