More on William "Lone Star" Dietz

After our initial post on William "Lone Star" Dietz, we subsequently found a very well written and researched piece about him by Linda Waggoner. If these posts have made you curious, Tom Benjey's biography "Keep A-goin' The Life of Lone Star Dietz" provides a very well researched life history. 

This post draws on both sources. He truly is a fascinating character who undoubtedly had many interesting twists in his life. 

Artwork by William Dietz

The first is that Dietz had true artisitic talent, which he exhibited from a young age. Born in 1884, he was taking art courses in Minneapolis at the age of 20 to perfect his drawing.  In 1904, he worked at the St. Louis World Fair, where his charm, good looks and artisitic talent drew considerable attention. 

Image of Sioux Warrior from Keep-A-Goin  The Life of Lone Star Dietz by Tom Benjey

At the fair, an artwork executed in grains depicting a Sioux warrior drew notice in the national press. 

Artwork by William Dietz

When he enrolled at the Carlisle School in 1907, he was descirbed as an "authentic" Sioux artist and athlete. But his stay there was certainly not uneventful. After a few months he eloped with the Director of the Art Department, Angel de Cora who was fourteen years older. 

Angel de Cora
Winnebago painter, illustrator, Native American rights advocate, and teacher at Carlisle Indian School. She was the best known Native American artist before World War I.

de Cora had come to the school to create an art program and she is widely regarded as the first Native American artist of reknown. The marriage was kept hidden for several months, but eventually came to light. Not long thereafter, Dietz was able to obtain a paid position as de Cora's assistant.

Dietz and de Cora with a pet Woflhound

The couple collaborated on a magazine called The Indian Craftsman and on art. Dietz also wrote articles for the publication. 

Illustration for Yellow Star with de Cora and Dietz signatures

William Dietz in football attire

Dietz was instrumental in creating the tradition of holiday bowl games by bringing his team to the first Rose Bowl. After coaching the Washington State Cougars to a 1916 RoseBowl win, Dietz also tried his hand at acting and appeared in a few movies. He invested in a studio founded by Tyrone Power, but it ended with a total loss for him in 1918.  later that year, while filming "Fools Gold" he would sue de Cora for divorce. She would die of pneumonia in 1919.

In addition to being a football player and a controversial Native American figure, he also was an illustrator, painter, writer, art teacher, dog breeder and actor.