Daniel Tucker, influential tribal leader, dies at 73

Daniel Tucker, an important leader in the Native American community who was known for being generous and influential, died Friday in El Cajon. He was 73.

“Danny always had a positive attitude, and he made everybody feel good,” said Cody Martinez, chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. “He was a great man.”

Tucker was Martinez’s step uncle and inspired him to get into tribal politics.

“I always looked up to him,” Martinez said. ““He left quite big shoes to fill when I was elected chairman in 2014.”

Tucker served for more than three decades on the tribal council for the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, including four terms as chairman and three terms as vice chair. He also served as chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association and co-chair of the National Indian Gaming Association in a pivotal time in the 1990s, when Native American tribes were fighting for the right to offer casino gambling on their sovereign land.

His political influence included meeting with former President Barack Obama at a White House summit about tribal issues in 2010.

His efforts to guarantee tribes the ability to offer Vegas-style gambling benefitted people on reservations throughout the nation by helping them ensure self-sufficiency and gain resources that allowed them to reclaim important aspects of Native American culture, said Adam Day, chief administrative officer with the Sycuan Tribal Government

“Danny made significant contributions, not just to Sycuan, but to all Native American tribes throughout the country as a tireless fighter for tribal sovereignty,” Day added. “He was a true leader.”

Tucker was a strong proponent of diversifying the tribe’s investments and helped launch the Tribal Development Corporation in 2001.

‘He was just so passionate about the direction and the future of the tribe,” said Willie Tucker Jr., his nephew and a tribal council member. “He was a voice. He was a beacon for people to follow. It didn’t matter what he was up against, he was ready for it.”

Willie Tucker Jr. said that his uncle inspired him to join the tribal council and taught him the importance of careful decision-making.

“He taught me that whatever decision you make, it doesn’t go away the next day, and it doesn’t affect just you,” he explained. “Make sure the decisions benefit everyone.”

Tucker was known for his kindness and positive outlook on life. He often supported cultural events on and off the reservation.

“He was always one to give the shirt off of his back to help people,” Martinez said.

He was also known as a singer and avid music fan who especially loved R&B songs from the ‘60s to ‘80s. He had a sophisticated karaoke system at home and sometimes sang with touring acts performing at the Sycuan Casino Resort. When he was young, he was the lead singer of the band Danny and the Marvels.

Music was an outlet to relieve stress and clear his head, his nephew explained.

Tucker was born Feb. 5, 1952, at Mercy Hospital to Francis and William Tucker. He grew up in a small house on Bates Lane in El Cajon and graduated from Santana High School in 1970. He continued to support the school with donations and helped coordinate class reunions long after he graduated.

Tucker is survived by his wife, Lori; daughters Deedra and Dawnda; three grandchildren; three great grandchildren; and siblings Charlotte Ann Quiroga, William Francis Tucker, Lela Mae Tucker Owens, and Delores Noel Tucker.

There was a traditional clothes-burning ceremony for Tucker scheduled for Monday evening that included cremation of many of his personal belongings and songs. Plans for an additional memorial service haven’t been announced, but one is expected to be held in the next week or two.

“His charisma, his smile, his laugh… he was larger than life,” William Tucker Jr. said. “When he spoke, people listened. He had that aura around him.”