Lloyd Romulus Welch was the fourth Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and is noted for the 1875 amendments to the Eastern Band Cherokee Constitution and the establishment of the Qualla Boundary.
[1][2] Born around 1836, Welch married Mary Lee McKee, granddaughter of Gideon Morris, in 1860 and had three children (all died young).
In 1868, while moving en route to the Cherokee Nation, Mary passed-away.
After a couple of years, Welch moved back to North Carolina and was a delegate from Cherokee County during the December 1, 1870 ratification of the Eastern Band Cherokee Constitution and first election of Principal Chief.
The 47th United States Congress would later approve the conveyance of the Qualla Boundary.