Meet Marcellus W. Osceola Jr., a 2023 Freedom Awards Honoree

Marcellus Osceola Jr. is the elected chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, one of the most successful Native American tribes in the United States.  The Seminole Tribe of Florida has more than 4,300 enrolled members and is headquartered in Hollywood, Fla., with reservations in many parts of the state.

Osceola was elected Chairman of the Seminole Tribe in 2016 and re-elected to a full four-year term in May of 2019.  He is the seventh elected Chairman since the Tribe adopted its constitution in 1957.

As Chairman, Marcellus Osceola heads an elected five-person Tribal Council, which oversees all government and gaming operations of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.  Prior to being elected Chairman, Marcellus Osceola Jr. served as the elected representative of the Hollywood Seminole Reservation to the Tribe’s Board of Directors, which manages the Tribe’s non-gaming business interests.  He also served as Tribal Council Representative for the Hollywood Seminole Reservation prior to becoming Chairman.

The grandfather of Marcellus Osceola Jr., Bill Osceola, served as the first President of the Board of Directors of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc.  His father, Marcellus Osceola Sr., served as the elected Tribal Council Representative from the Hollywood Seminole Reservation.

During his time as Chairman, Marcellus Osceola Jr. has helped the Seminole Tribe reach multiple milestones, including the opening of the world’s first Guitar Hotel on the Hollywood Seminole Reservation and a major expansion of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, one of the world’s largest and most profitable casinos.  The Seminole Tribe owns Hard Rock International, the first international company acquired by a North American tribe.  The company’s headquarters was recently relocated to Seminole Tribe offices adjacent to the Tribe’s headquarters on the Hollywood Seminole Reservation.

Marcellus Osceola Jr. was born in Fort Lauderdale in 1972 and is a lifelong resident of the Hollywood Seminole Reservation.  He is married to Trisha Osceola and has seven children.  He is also an entrepreneur and the owner of multiple businesses.