1st Alaska State Legislature

Term of state legislature in Alaska, US

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The 1st Alaska State Legislature served during 1959 and 1960. All of its members were elected on November 26, 1958, when Alaska was in its last days as a territory.

## Terms

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The Alaska Constitution established that legislative terms begin on the fourth Monday in January following an election year, and that the date may be changed by statute. This legislature passed Senate Bill 70 in the first session, which placed the date into statute but did not actually change it.

* All terms began on January 26, 1959
* All terms of representatives, and of those senators serving short terms, expired on January 22, 1961
* All terms of senators serving long terms expired on January 27, 1963

## Sessions

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* 1st session: January 26, 1959 – April 16, 1959
* 2nd session: January 25, 1960 – March 29, 1960

## Alaska Senate

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### Make-up

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Affiliation  | Members

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| Democratic Party | 18
| Republican Party | 2
Total | 20
Government Majority | 16

### Members

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District | Name | Life | Party | Location

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A | James Nolan | 1901–1991  | Dem | Wrangell
Frank Peratrovich | 1895–1984  | Dem | Klawock
B | Walter O. "Bo" Smith | 1907–1987  | Dem | Ketchikan
C | Howard C. Bradshaw | 1908–1994  | Dem | Sitka
D | Thomas B. Stewart | 1919–2007  | Dem | Juneau
E | Ralph E. Moody[1] | 1915–1997  | Dem | Anchorage
Irene E. Ryan | 1909–1997  | Dem | Anchorage
F | Balfour J. "Bob" Logan | 1906–1974  | Dem | Cordova
G | Joseph Earl Cooper[2] | 1907–1964  | Dem | Anchorage
H | Irwin L. Metcalf | 1908–1973  | Dem | Seward
I | Alfred A. Owen | 1910–1985  | Dem | Uganik Bay
J | George B. McNabb, Jr. | 1919–1992  | Dem | Fairbanks
Robert J. McNealy | 1907–1978  | Dem | Fairbanks
K | Jack E. Weise | 1915–2000  | Rep | Bethel
L | John B. Coghill | 1925–2019  | Rep | Nenana
M | Hubert A. Gilbert[3] | 1914–1984  | Dem | Fairbanks
N | William E. Beltz | 1912–1960  | Dem | Unalakleet[4]
Lester Bronson | 1905–1972  | Dem | Nome
O | Eben Hopson | 1922–1980  | Dem | Barrow
P | John A. McNees | 1917–1995  | Dem | Nome

### Leadership

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* Senate President: William E. Beltz (D-Unalakleet)

## Alaska House of Representatives

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### Make-up

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Affiliation  | Members

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| Democratic Party | 34
| Republican Party | 5
| Independent | 1
Total | 40
Government Majority | 28

### Members

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District | Name | Life | Party | Location

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1 | Charles M. Jones | 1921–2002  | Dem | Craig
2 | Oral E. Freeman | 1915–2001  | Dem | Ketchikan
James R. "J. Ray" Roady | 1907–1997  | Dem | Ketchikan
3 | John E. Longworth | 1910–1985  | Rep | Petersburg
4 | Frank E. Cashel | 1918–1991  | Dem | Sitka
Andrew Hope | 1896–1968  | Dem | Sitka
5 | Douglas Gray | 1908–1980  | Dem | Douglas
Dora M. Sweeney | 1907–2001  | Dem | Juneau
6 | Morgan W. Reed | 1904–[?] | Dem | Skagway
7 | Harold Z. Hansen | 1910–1993  | Ind-D | Cordova
8 | Bruce Kendall | 1919–2012  | Rep | Valdez
9 | James J. Hurley | 1915–2002  | Dem | Palmer
10 | Helen M. Fischer | 1912–1986  | Dem | Anchorage
James E. Fisher | 1927–2020  | Dem | Anchorage
John S. Hellenthal | 1915–1989  | Dem | Anchorage
Earl D. Hillstrand | 1913–1974  | Dem | Anchorage
Peter J. Kalamarides | 1916–1979  | Dem | Anchorage
Edward R. "Russ" Meekins | 1915–1995  | Dem | Anchorage
James E. Norene | 1905–1996  | Dem | Anchorage
John L. Rader[5] | 1927–  | Dem | Anchorage
11 | William M. Erwin | 1933–2022  | Dem | Seward
12 | Allan L. Petersen | 1890–1969  | Dem | Kenai[6]
13 | Peter M. Deveau | 1917–2002  | Dem | Kodiak
Henry L. Haag | 1895–1969  | Dem | Kodiak
14 | Charles J. Franz | 1910–1996  | Dem | Port Moller
15 | Jay S. Hammond | 1922–2005  | Ind | Naknek
16 | James Hoffman | 1925–1982  | Rep | Bethel
17 | Donald Harris | 1928–2011  | Rep | McGrath
18 | Grant H. Pearson | 1900–1978  | Dem | McKinley Park
19 | Frank X. Chapados | 1914–2007  | Dem | Fairbanks
Joseph R. "Bob" Giersdorf[7] | 1935–2003  | Dem | Fairbanks
Richard J. Greuel | 1928–2013  | Dem | Fairbanks
Robert E. Sheldon | 1883–1983  | Dem | Fairbanks
Warren A. Taylor | 1891–1980  | Dem | Fairbanks
20 | R.S. McCombe | 1902–1985  | Dem | Chicken
21 | John Nusunginya | 1927–1981  | Dem | Point Barrow
22 | John E. Curtis | 1915–1999  | Rep | Kotzebue
23 | Robert R. Blodgett | 1920–1990  | Dem | Nome
Charles E. Fagerstrom | 1905–1962  | Dem | Nome
24 | Axel C. Johnson | 1911–1985  | Dem | Kwiguk

### Leadership

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* Speaker of the House: Warren A. Taylor (D-Fairbanks)

## See also

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* List of Alaska State Legislatures
* 2nd Alaska State Legislature, the legislature following this one
* List of governors of Alaska
* List of speakers of the Alaska House of Representatives
* [1]{AKLeg.gov}

## Notes

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1. ^ Resigned in 1960, following the end of sessions, to accept appointment as attorney general
2. ^ Appointed to the Alaska Superior Court between sessions. Seaborn J. Buckalew, Jr. (D) was appointed to his seat for the second session.
3. ^ Appointed to the Alaska Superior Court between sessions. Rep. Bob Giersdorf (D) was appointed to his seat January 29, 1960. Giersdorf, who was born on February 24, 1935, was short of the constitutionally-established minimum age, and resigned the seat. Edmund N. Orbeck (D), who was appointed to Giersdorf's House seat, replaced him.
4. ^ Died on November 21, 1960, after the end of sessions but before the expiration of his term.
5. ^ Appointed state attorney general between sessions. Blanche L. McSmith (D) was appointed to his seat for the second session.
6. ^ Petersen, Jettie. Once Upon The Kenai, page 269-70 Kenai Historical Society, Alaska, 1984
7. ^ Appointed January 29, 1960, to replace outgoing Sen. Hubert Gilbert for the second session, but re-assumed his old seat February 2, 1960. Edmund N. Orbeck (D) filled his House seat in the interim.

## External links

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Photos of individual and assembled members of the 1st Alaska State Legislature, as hosted at Alaska's Digital Archives

* Senate, in chambers
* Senate, on capitol steps
* Senate, collage of official photos
* House, in chambers
* House, on capitol steps
* House, collage of official photos
* Members of the 1st State Legislature who were also members of the 23rd Territorial Legislature
* Legislative staff
* William E. Beltz, Irene E. Ryan and Warren A. Taylor conferring
* William E. Beltz at Senate President's desk
* Howard C. Bradshaw
* Frank E. Cashel
* Frank X. Chapados
* John B. "Jack" Coghill
* Blanche L. (Preston) McSmith
* Ralph E. Moody accepting formal acknowledgement of Alaskan statehood in Boston, Massachusetts, September 1958
* Thomas B. Stewart

* v
* t
* e

Alaska State Legislatures

* 1st (1959–60)
* 2nd (1961–62)
* 3rd (1963–64)
* 4th (1965–66)
* 5th (1967–68)
* 6th (1969–70)
* 7th (1971–72)
* 8th (1973–74)
* 9th (1975–76)
* 10th (1977–78)
* 11th (1979–80)
* 12th (1981–82)
* 13th (1983–84)
* 14th (1985–86)
* 15th (1987–88)
* 16th (1989–90)
* 17th (1991–92)
* 18th (1993–94)
* 19th (1995–96)
* 20th (1997–98)
* 21st (1999–2000)
* 22nd (2001–02)
* 23rd (2003–04)
* 24th (2005–06)
* 25th (2007–08)
* 26th (2009–10)
* 27th (2011–12)
* 28th (2013–14)
* 29th (2015–16)
* 30th (2017–18)
* 31st (2019–20)
* 32nd (2021–22)
* 33rd (2023-24)
* 34th (2025-26)

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