Valentine Trant McGillycuddy (February 14, 1849 – June 6, 1939) was a surgeon who served with expeditions and United States military forces in the West.

He was considered controversial for his efforts to build a sustainable relationship between the United States and Native American peoples.

He began working as a doctor at the Wayne County Insane Asylum[5] and practiced medicine for one year.

He was responsible for mapping the topography and geology of the region,[2] while the expedition assessed the area for major gold deposits.

[6] Because of his mustache that drooped to a length of two inches below the corners of his mouth, the Sioux named him "Putin hi chikala" or "Little Whiskers.

After Crazy Horse's death in 1877, McGillycuddy went to Washington, D.C., to lobby for more humane treatment of Indians at Fort Robinson.

Red Cloud, a major chief, accused McGillycuddy of mismanagement, leading to several investigations of the Agent's administration.

[8] Ostensibly under pressure to fire a loyal clerk for no reason he could see, McGillycuddy eventually resigned his post.

He would later serve as president of Lakota Bank and as Dean of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

[6] A plaque was installed that reads: "Valentine T. McGillycuddy, ′Wasicu Wakan′, 1849–1939″ (In Lakota, Wasicu Wakan means ″Holy White Man″).