On Aug. 24, 1912, President William Howard Taft gave Alaska a political birthday gift — signing the Organic Act that created the Territory of Alaska out of a loosely governed district on the birthday of its author, Delegate James Wickersham.
The act’s passage was an important milestone in Alaska’s path toward statehood, which would not come until 1959.
Taft was the 27th president (1909–1913) and the only president to then serve as chief justice of the US Supreme Court, a role he considered to be his highest honor. He served from 1921-1930. During his presidency he also supported the passage of the 16th Amendment, which was ratified in 1913, establishing the federal income tax and fundamentally changing how the government funded itself.
My grandmother’s and one grandfather were born in what? A district of Alaska? Our parents and siblings were born in the territory of Alaska. All our children were born in Alaska. I find this interesting.
Wow never knew this
Woodrow Wilson signed the Income Tax into law and allowed the creation of the Federal Reserve (aka private banking cartel). Thereby cementing himself as the worst president in US history. Sorry Obama and Biden haters.
Taft into Wilson was like Bush2 into Obama.
Alaska was the only land taken over by the USA that was not immediately made a territory, and act that I find incomprehensible and inexplicable, particularly as that territorial designation took FORTY-FIVE YEARS to happen! I have yet to ever read this explained by any historian.
It all depends on if you are talking about organized or unorganized territories or incorporated or unincorporated territories or if they are Territories or territories. Depending on which of the above all of the following fit the same bill as not being immediately made a territory: Louisiana Purchase territory, Oregon Country, Northwest Territory including Illinois Country which was also called County of Illinois and Michigan Territory and Indiana Territory, pretty much all of the lands in the Southwest gained by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In fact most of the land mass of the current US wasn’t immediately made a Territory once it was owned by the US, certainly it took much more time for Alaska to become an official incorporated Territory maybe because Alaska isn’t contiguous with other states or territories?
Interesting point… Hawaii was taken over in 1917 by a small contingent of the US Army (or was it the marines?). Queen Lilioukalani was imprisoned inside her palace…. But then what? Was HI declared a territory right away? The whole thing happened over sugar tariffs. At the time, (few people know this) Maui was the breadbasket for the California Gold Rush. Everything from sugar to potatoes, cattle, textiles, you name it, was produced in Maui and exported to California… mostly by Japanese tenement farmers. I excavated a few such tenements myself when I was working in HI as an archaeologist years ago.
Maybe the delay was the perceived “non abundance” of the Alaska landscape? Just a thought…
It was first made ‘Department of Alaska’ 1867 – 1884, then ‘District of Alaska’ 1884 – 1912 due to the expense of financing a full territorial government which would be required due to lack of a tax base to finance said territorial government on account of a sparse non-native population- which also caused a lack of self-administrative capability. Sounds familiar…
Also of great importance and relevancy to not declaring it a full-fledged territory was the unsettled land and native title issues. Not naming it a full fledged territory kept it out of the realm of legal land title issues and kept it from falling under established federal public-land law. Federally sanctioned and supported homesteading didn’t occur until after the 1884 Organic Act established the District of Alaska, which still carved out dealing with native claims by saying that Alaska natives and others (presumably already-established non-native property dwellers) ‘shall not be disturbed’ in possession of lands they used/occupied. Four years after the first Organic Act established the District of Alaska, President McKinley signed into law an Act extending existing federal homestead law to the District of Alaska- the real reason why commies hate having his name on Mount McKinley.
Also, aside from all the congressmen who opposed statehood, pretty much the same contingent opposed territory status for the same valid reasons, and the Morgan-Guggenheim mining syndicate and the Seattle salmon canning monopoly both opposed making it a territory as well.
The US purchased Russian interests which were a few forts, churches, commercial stores, fur farms. The sales document stated the rest of the land was owned by the people of the land in perpetuity. The Land Claims Settlement Act settled and paid those claims to thirteen corporations to accommodate the extraction of oil under Native land claims or ownership. The natives would have held the resources completely privately like Dubai but for the optional claims act. Most still won’t hire the natives in Anchorage or if they do they try to reduce benefits etc. No good deed goes unpunished in AK. It is the charm of the place.
Other than coastline surveys, The first federally funded survey of Alaska wasn’t until 1895 28 years after purchase…
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (starting 1895)
First appropriation: The first specific federal appropriation for the USGS in Alaska was on March 2, 1895.
Focus on resources: The initial funding of $5,000 was for “investigation of the coal and gold resources”.
Systematic mapping: Following this appropriation, the USGS took over as the primary agency for the scientific exploration of Alaska, conducting systematic topographic mapping and geological studies.
The surveys were chronological. I own survey #4. My uncle was the chainman. I could never be treated respectfully among state of Alaska agencies. Natives barely ate represented at all in public Alaskan employment regardless to date.
CB says treaty of CESSION was a peace treaty, had to be ratified by senate, happened 9 April. 1867, then ratified by Johnson then formalized 20 June 1867.. Stoeckl appears to CB to be a double agent – russian minister working for U.S.? Why. Why is Stoekls name on questionable ‘check’ in pay to the order of…? 2 cents an acre bs seems demeaning to CB. Enjoy
The surveys were chronological. I own survey #4. My uncle was the chainman. I could never be treated respectfully among state of Alaska agencies. Natives barely are represented at all in public Alaskan employment regardless to date.
The Alaska Territory and government was SUBORDINATE to Congress. The Alaska Statehood Act was NoT pursuant to our Constitution for the United States. The BS vote with the 3 required Congressional provision’s in the vote violated Constitutional DUE PROCESS limitations, restrictions and requirements. Alaska did not enter the Union on equal footing and has become enslaved to the US federal government. Nothing in our Constitution gives the US federal government more than 10 miles square at Statehood, and nothing gives them power over a resource in a State, and without delegated power over a resource there can be now ownership. Most everything is a FRAUD especially the worthless fiat paper “federal reserve” notes that aren’t worth the par=per they’re printed on. Our supposed Alaska WA DC Senators and Congress are bought and paid for same as the State government. Your rights and liberty guaranteed by our Constitutions are only words and not reality. On the 61% of Alaska claimed by the federales your rights and liberty fail under oppression and you have no redress of grievance or Security of a Free State.