Ben Shelly
Ben Shelly | |
|---|---|
Shelly in 2009 | |
| 7th President of the Navajo Nation | |
| In office January 11, 2011 – May 12, 2015 | |
| Vice President | Rex Lee Jim |
| Preceded by | Joe Shirley Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Russell Begaye |
| 5th Vice President of the Navajo Nation | |
| In office January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2011 | |
| President | Joe Shirley Jr. |
| Preceded by | Frank Dayish |
| Succeeded by | Rex Lee Jim |
| Member of the Navajo Nation Council | |
| In office January 15, 1991 – January 9, 2007 | |
| Succeeded by | Edmund Yazzie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 6, 1947 Thoreau, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Died | March 22, 2023 (aged 75) Gallup, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Martha Shelly |
Ben Shelly (July 6, 1947 – March 22, 2023) was the 7th president of the Navajo Nation. He was the first president to have been elected both president and vice president of the Navajo Nation, as well as the first New Mexican Navajo to hold the Navajo presidency.
On November 2, 2010, Shelly was voted in as the Navajo Nation's president-elect during the 2010 Navajo Nation Presidential Elections, defeating opponent New Mexico State Senator Lynda Lovejoy of the Navajo Nation. On August 16, 2014, Shelly lost in the Navajo Nation primaries to former Navajo Nation president Joe Shirley Jr and newcomer Christopher Deschene.