1st Alaska State Legislature

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

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

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

Alaska Senate

Make-up

Affiliation		Members
	Democratic Party	18
	Republican Party	2
Total		20
Government Majority		16

Members

District	Name	Life	Party	Location
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

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

Alaska House of Representatives

Make-up

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

Members

District	Name	Life	Party	Location
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

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

See also

• 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
• {AKLeg.gov}

Notes

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

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