Alaskan Statehood
Photograph taken during signing of the Alaska Statehood Bill. L-R: President Eisenhower; unidentified man; Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton. July 7, 1958
President Eisenhower stated his support for the idea of statehood for Alaska early in his administration but also expressed concerns that needed to be overcome before that could occur. The greatest concern was the issue of national security; this was during the height of the Cold War and Alaska was on the border of the Soviet Union. Another concern was the amount of public land in the territory; 99% of the area was owned by the Federal government and a suitable compromise had to be arranged to transfer unreserved lands to the new state government.
After the annual introduction of various statehood bills H.R. 7999 passed in the House on May 28, 1958, passed in the Senate on June 30, 1958 and was signed into law by the President on July 7, 1958. On January 3, 1959 he signed the official proclamation admitting Alaska as the 49th state.
Letter, Barrie M. White Jr. to Sherman Adams regarding Operation Statehood and visit of Alaskans to Washington D.C., May 2, 1954 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (1)]
Memo, Orme Lewis, Department of the Interior, to Thomas Stephens regarding Alaskan delegation, May 13, 1954 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (1)]
List of Alaska delegation members for 5/13/54 meeting with the President [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (1)]
Letter, Barrie M. White Jr. to the President regarding Operation Statehood, May 27, 1954 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (1)]
Letter, Sen. Henry Jackson to the President regarding Alaska statehood and national security considerations, March 19, 1955 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 753, OF-147-D-1 Alaska Statehood]
Letter, response from the President to Sen. Henry Jackson, March 31, 1955 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 753, OF-147-D-1 Alaska Statehood]
Memo from Legislative Counsel to Wilton B. Persons regarding implementation of the administration's position on Alaska statehood, March 6, 1957 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 753, OF-147-D-1 Alaska Statehood]
Letter, Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton to the President regarding Alaska statistics, June 24, 1958 [DDE's Papers as President, Administration Series, Box 32, Seaton, Fred (2)]
Statement of the Secretary of the Interior on Alaskan Statehood, July 1, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
Memo, Ted Stevens, Department of the Interior, to Sherman Adams regarding Alaska Statehood Act, July 4, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
Letter, the President to Gov. Michael Stepovich regarding H.R. 7999, July 7, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
Press release regarding President's signing of H.R. 7999, July 7, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF 147-D Alaska (3)]
Letter, Maurice Stans to the President regarding problems arising from Alaska Statehood, July 17, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (1)]
Letter, the President to Maurice Stans regarding the Bureau of the Budget's role in Alaska statehood, July 18, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
Bulletin 59-1 Effects of Alaska Statehood, August 4, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
President Eisenhower's statements regarding statehood for Alaska and Hawaii, September 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 753, OF-147-D-1 Alaska Statehood]
Letter, Attorney General William Rogers to the President regarding proposed proclamation for Alaska statehood, December 31, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
Memo concerning the Time of Admission of the State of Alaska, December 31, 1958 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
Proclamation #3269 Admission of the State of Alaska, January 3, 1959 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF 147-D Alaska (3)]
List of persons attending the signing ceremony [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
Press release with remarks of the President on signing the proclamation admitting Alaska into the state of the union, and the executive order designating the new design for the U.S. flag, January 3, 1959 [DDE's Records as President, Official File, Box 752, OF-147-D Alaska (3)]
President Eisenhower signs the Alaska Statehood Bill which paves the way for the
territory's later admission into the union. July 7, 1958
President Eisenhower signs the Alaska Proclamation admitting Alaska as the 49th state. Front L-R: Vice President Richard Nixon; President Eisenhower; House Speaker
Sam Rayburn. Rear L-R: Rep.-Elect Ralph Rivers; Sen.-Elect Ernest Gruening; Sen.-
Elect E.L. Bartlett; Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton; Wayne Hendrickson; and
David W. Kendall, Special Counsel to the President. January 3, 1959.
Unfurling of the new 49-star flag. January 3, 1959
For a listing of collections at the Eisenhower Presidential Library with materials pertaining to this topic, please see: Alaskan Statehood Subject Guide
