Billy Frank Jr. is born on March 9 to Willie Frank Sr. (Qui-Lash-Kut) and Angeline Frank.

Military service

At age 21, Billy joins the U.S. Marines, where he serves for two years.

The Fish Wars

Tribal citizens organize fish-ins to protest the violation of their treaty-protected rights. A self-proclaimed “getting arrested guy,” Billy goes to jail more than 50 times for fishing off-reservation and becomes a leader in the fight for tribal treaty rights.

U.S. v. Washington – the “Boldt Decision”

Federal Judge George Boldt issues his decision in U.S. v. Washington, upholding tribes’ right to 50% of salmon, steelhead and other fish, and establishing them as co-managers of the fisheries.

Billy is elected to represent Medicine Creek Treaty tribes on the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. “The fighting, that is, the fish-ins and demonstrations, is over now, I hope. My past is in the past; I’m looking forward to what will happen in the next 10 years as far as the development of the resource is concerned.” He serves on the commission for the rest of his life, most of those years as chairman.

As the Nisqually Tribe’s fisheries manager, Billy leads the effort to restore flow to the Nisqually River. More than a decade later, the city of Tacoma will build fish ladders on Alder Dam and agree to provide instream flows for fish and pay for environmental damages.

Billy is awarded the Washington State Environmental Excellence Award from the state Ecological Commission.

Federally recognized tribes in Washington sign the Centennial Accord with Gov. Booth Gardner to provide a framework for a “government to government relationship and implementation procedures to assure execution of that relationship.”

Billy is awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism for exemplary contributions to humanity and the environment.

Under Billy’s leadership, treaty tribes file suit for the court to determine the state of Washington has a treaty-based duty to preserve fish runs and habitat, seeking to compel the state to repair or replace culverts that impede salmon migration.

Puget Sound commercial shellfish growers and 17 treaty tribes in western Washington sign the Shellfish Agreement to address treaty shellfish harvest rights, preserve the health of the shellfish industry and provide greater shellfish harvest opportunities for everyone in the state.

Billy leads the Treaty Rights at Risk Initiative, calling on the federal government to meet its obligation as trustee to align its agencies to protect treaty rights and lead a better coordinated salmon recovery effort.

Federal district court orders the state to significantly increase the effort to remove and replace state-owned culverts that block habitat for salmon and steelhead by 2030. The state will appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which will uphold the decision in 2018.

President Obama posthumously awards Billy with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Washington state passes legislation for a statue of Billy to represent the state in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.