John Looney , who had been elected as Third Chief , became Principal Chief of the Western Cherokee after the death of John Jolly on December 28 , 1838 . It was about this time that the Eastern Cherokee were arriving from the west due to their forced removal from North Carolina , Tennessee , Georgia , and Alabama . The Eastern Cherokee had brought with them their own Constitution and Principal Chief , John Ross , which they did not intend to give up . The Western Cherokee , anticipating trouble with the new arrivals , held a new election on April 22 , 1839 and elected John Brown , Principal Chief , and John Looney and John Rogers as Second and Third Chiefs
forced removal
Trail of Tears
John Looney (Cherokee chief)