Calendar - Significant Dates in Alaska's Political History

Significant Dates in Alaska's Political History

Events Organized by Month

Events in Chronological Order

Month	Day	Year	Event
January	11	1937	Nell Scott of Seldovia became the first woman in Alaska's Legislature
January	3	1959	President Eisenhower signs the Alaska Statehood Proclamation, officially bringing Alaska in the Union as the 49th State.
January	26	1959	The first Alaska State Legislature convenes in Juneau.
January	23	1969	The US Senate confirmed the appointment of Alaska's Walter Hickel as the Secretary of the Interior. To date, Hickel is the only Alaskan to serve in the Cabinet.
February	6	1887	Ernest Gruening born in New York City.
February	2	1931	Dedication of the Alaska Territorial Capitol Building in Juneau. The building continues in service as the Alaska State Capitol.
February	27	1954	William Snedden, owner of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, reverses the paper's editorial policy and begins advocating for statehood
February	5	1956	The delegates to the Alaska Constitutional Convention adopt the constitution for the future State of Alaska.
February	6	1956	The Alaska Constitutional Convention adjourns.
March	30	1867	Treaty signed between the Empire of Russia and the United States of America for the purchase of Alaska.
March	3	1913	The first Alaska Territorial Legislature convened in the Elks Lodge in Juneau.
March	21	1913	Governor Walter E. Clark approved the first act of the first Territorial Legislature, giving Alaska women the right to vote.
March	30	1916	Delegate James Wickersham introduced the first bill calling for Alaska Statehood. The bill did not receive a hearing.
March	10	1959	The Alaska House of Representatives authorized a salary of $25,000/year for the Governor of Alaska.
March	13	1968	ARCO and the predecessor to Exxon announced their discover of oil in Prudhoe Bay.
March	6	1973	Voters went to the polls for a special election to select the replacement for Congressman Nick Begich, who had been killed in a plane crash the previous December. Don Young defeated Emil Notti for the position.
March	24	1989	The Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound.
April	24	1956	The voters of Alaska approved the state constitution adopted by the constitutional convention in February. The vote was 17,447 to 7,180 in favor of the constitution.
April	16	1959	The first Alaska State Legislature adjourned sine die.
May	28	1867	The US Senate ratified the treaty providing for the purchase of Alaska from Russia.
May	7	1906	President Roosevelt signed a bill authorizing the Territory of Alaska to elect a non-voting delegate to the US Congress. Alaska was represented federally by delegates until statehood in 1959.
May	20	1909	Walter Eli Clark was appointed the last District Governor of Alaska. In 1912, he would become the first Territorial Governor of Alaska.
May	3	1917	Governor John F.A. Strong signed the bill creating the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, the predecessor to the University of Alaska.
May	10	1957	President Eisenhower nominated Mike Stepovich as the last Territorial Governor of Alaska.
May	28	1958	The US House of Representatives passed the Alaska Statehood bill by a vote of 208-166
June	8	1957	Mike Stepovich was sworn in as Governor of the Territory of Alaska. He would be the last Territorial Governor of Alaska.
June	30	1958	The US Senate passed the Alaska Statehood bill by a vote of 64-20 and sent it to President Dwight Eisenhower.
June	26	1974	Former Territorial Governor and United States Senator Ernest Gruening "The Father of Alaska Statehood" passes away in Washington D.C.
July	4	1884	John Kinkead of Nevada was appointed Alaska's first governor.
July	21	1922	Jay Hammond, Alaska's fourth governor, was born.
July	15	1923	President Warren Harding drove the golden spike that signified the completion of the Alaska Railroad. Harding was the first sitting president to visit Alaska.
July	21	1954	Douglas McKay, Eisenhower's Secretary of the Interior, lambastes "Operation Statehood" members at a speech in Anchorage. McKay stated that he was "sick and tired of being kicked around by Alaskans" and that citizens of the territory should start acting like "ladies and gentlemen."
July	7	1958	President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act into law.
August	14	1906	The first election was held to name a non-voting Alaskan Delegate to Congress. In a twist of fate, two men were elected. One served a short term, while the other a full term.
August	24	1912	Passage of the Second Organic Act establishes the Territory of Alaska. The Second Organic Act would be the basis of law in Alaska for the next fifty-seven years.
August	31	1953	Ted Stevens, who later went on to become Alaska's senior Senator and President Pro Tempore of the US Senate, was appointed US District Attorney in Fairbanks.
August	14	1954	Commonwealth for Alaska Inc. is founded in Anchorage. The group favored commonwealth status for Alaska as a step between territorial status and statehood.
August	26	1958	Voters in the first Alaska State Primary Election approved the Statehood Enabling Act 40,452 to 8,010. Voters also nominated candidates for Governor, Secretary of State, members of Congress and the first State Legislature.
August	1	1977	The ARCO Juneau, the first tanker of Alaskan crude, left Valdez.
September	8	1906	The office of the Governor of Alaska was moved from Sitka to Juneau, completing the movement of the capital, which had begun the year before.
September	13	1955	In a special election, 55 delegates were chosen for the Constitutional Convention which convened at the University of Alaska in November
October	18	1867	Formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States with the raising of the American flag at Sitka
October	18	1898	In a formal transfer ceremony, Russians at Sitka lowered their flag for the last time and newly arrived American troops raised the Stars and Stripes over the United States' recent acquisition.
October	8	1915	Bill Egan, Alaska's first state governor and the only person elected three times to the position, was born in Valdez.
November	5	1912	An election selected the 24 members of the first Territorial Legislature.
November	8	1955	The Alaska Constitutional Convention begins at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.
November	29	1955	Former Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening's book "The State of Alaska" is published. The book detailed the history of Alaska and described the coming fight for statehood and prosperity.
December	11	1968	E.L. "Bob" Bartlett, United States Senator and former Alaskan Delegate to Congress passes away in Cleveland Ohio. He is replaced by Ted Stevens.

The source for many of these dates and events was Robert DeArmond's "Chronology of Alaska History" found on the Alaska Historical Society's Website. Additional information came from the Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development's Alaska Chronology site.