Lloyd Romulus Welch was the fourth Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and is noted for the 1875 amendments to the Eastern Band Cherokee Constitution and the establishment of the Qualla Boundary.[1][2]
Born around 1836, Welch married Mary Lee McKee, granddaughter of Gideon Morris, in 1860 and had three children (all died young). In 1868, while moving en route to the Cherokee Nation, Mary passed-away. After a couple of years, Welch moved back to North Carolina and was a delegate from Cherokee County during the December 1, 1870 ratification of the Eastern Band Cherokee Constitution and first election of Principal Chief.[1][3] In 1875, Welch was elected Principal Chief. On October 13, 1875, new amendments to the Eastern Band Cherokee Constitution (also refereed as the Lloyd Welch Constitution) were approved.[4] In 1876, the Qualla Boundary was established and was surveyed by M.S. Temple under the auspices of the United States Land Office; on October 9, the conveyance of 50,000 acres (20,000 ha), followed by an additional 15,211 acres (6,156 ha) of outlying areas on August 14, 1880. The 47th United States Congress would later approve the conveyance of the Qualla Boundary.[1][5]
Welch died in 1880 of pulmonary consumption at his residence in Cherokee County.[3]