B. Frank Heintzleman
B. Frank Heintzleman | |
---|---|
Waino Edward Hendrickson Territorial Acting Governor of Alaska | |
Personal details | |
Born | Benjamin Franklin Heintzleman December 3, 1888 Fayetteville, Pennsylvania |
Died | June 24, 1965 Juneau, Alaska | (aged 76)
Political party | Republican |
Benjamin Franklin Heintzleman (December 3, 1888 – June 24, 1965) was an American
Background
Heintzleman was born to Andrew J. and Rebecca Jane Heintzleman in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, on December 3, 1888. He was educated in public schools before being graduated from the Pennsylvania State College with a Bachelor of Forestry in 1907 and from Yale University with a Master of Forestry in 1910.[1]
Shortly after graduation, Heintzleman joined the United States Forest Service and worked in Oregon and Washington. With the United States entry into World War I, he was transferred to Alaska to oversee lumber production. There, from 1918 till 1934, he served as Assistant Regional Forester in Ketchikan, Alaska.[1][2] In this role he assisted the development of the region's pulp and lumber industries and was key to the construction of two pulp mills in southeast Alaska.[1] During this time he wrote the 1921 Forest Service bulletin "The Forests of Alaska".[1]
Heintzleman was made head of the National Recovery Administration forest conservation efforts in 1934. In 1937, he was appointed Alaskan Representative of the Federal Power Commission. The same year he was promoted to Regional Forester for Alaska, a post he held till 1953. As Regional Forester he also held the position of Alaskan Commissioner of the United States Department of Agriculture. In this role he encouraged the development of lumber and pulp mills along with other industrial development.[1] From 1939 to 1940 he served as chairman of the Alaska Territorial Planning Board.[2]
Governorship
Heintzleman was appointed to become Governor of Alaska Territory by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on March 11, 1953.[3] Following confirmation, his term of office began on April 10 of the same year.[1]
The primary focus of the new governor's administration was economic development. Toward this end he called for revised
Heintzleman submitted his resignation on December 18, 1956. His letter of resignation explain his departure by pointing out that he "had forty-six years of public service" and desired "to retire to less strenuous work". The timing, three months before the end of his term, was occasioned by the outgoing governor's desire to allow for his replacement to be in place before the next territorial legislature convened on January 28, 1957.
Opinion on statehood
The leading political issue within Alaska at the time was the territory's gaining statehood. Heintzleman's opinion on the matter evolved over time. At the beginning of his term of office, he felt Alaska's efforts to become a state were "a little premature".[8]
After a year, he revised his opinion and instead proposed that the territory be divided, with statehood for the most populous southern and eastern areas. Heintzleman laid out his plan in an April 3, 1954, letter to
By 1956, the Alaskan governor no longer opposed statehood and supported the creation of a
After office
From 1957 till 1959, Heintzleman was a member of the
References
- ^ ISBN 0-930466-11-X.
- ^ a b c "B. Frank Heintzleman Is Dead; Former Governor of Alaska, 77". New York Times. June 25, 1965. p. 33.
- ^ "Senate Confirms Envoy to Mexico". New York Times. March 12, 1953. p. 17.
- ^ "Alaska Asks U.S. for Tax 'Holiday'". New York Times. September 9, 1955. p. 16.
- ^ "Alaska Governor Quits". New York Times. December 19, 1956. p. 24.
- ^ "Alaska Governor Quits". New York Times. January 5, 1957. p. 7.
- ^ "Native Alaskan Named To Govern Territory". New York Times. May 10, 1957. p. 8.
- ^ "Statehood is Opposed". New York Times. March 14, 1953. p. 10.
- University of Alaska
- ^ Knowles, Clayton (April 6, 1954). "Statehood Fight Up To Eisenhower". New York Times. p. 14.
- ^ Naske, Claus-M. (2013-01-25). "Alaska's estate: Despite complaints, Alaska received a generous land grant". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ "Alaskans Urge Ouster". New York Times. April 17, 1954. p. 3.
- ^ "Alaskans fi Statehood: B. Frank Heintzleman". University of Alaska. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, Donald J. Orth author, United States Government Printing Office (1967), page 414