Manford Pooler was the son of Chief Moses Pooler. He was born in 1862 in Franklin County, Kansas and endured the removal from Kansas to Indian Territory in 1867. Pooler received his education at the Ottawa Mission School and later at the Quapaw Mission Industrial School.

Before becoming chief, Pooler served as the Ottawa tax collector and on the tribal council. He first held the office of Chief from 1888 to 1892 and again from 1895 until his death in 1930, giving him the longest known tenure of any Ottawa leader. Pooler guided the Tribe through the years of allotment and the transition to Oklahoma statehood. He is considered one of the founding fathers of Miami, Oklahoma, and helped authorize the 1891 sale of 588 acres of Ottawa land that led to the town’s establishment. Pooler married Mary Richardville, daughter of Miami Chief Thomas Richardville, and the new town was named for the Miami Tribe in recognition of Chief Richardville’s role in the sale.

After allotment, Pooler operated a livery business and later opened a barber shop in the nearby town of Douthat. He also served as justice of the peace, postmaster, and industrial farmer at the Quapaw School.