Haskell gained increasing influence in the politics of Indian Territory and drew the attention of the leaders of the Creek Nation. During this time, the Native American nations in Indian Territory were talking of creating a state and joining the Union under the name of the State of Sequoyah. The Creek selected Haskell as their official representative to the conventions, in the position of vice-president for the Five Civilized Tribes, held in Eufaula, Oklahoma in 1902 and Muskogee in 1905. Of the six delegates at the Muskogee convention, only Haskell and William H. Murray were not of Native American descent. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt blocked the attempt to create Sequoyah, as he opposed the potential of another Democratic-majority state.