Ralph Julian Rivers
Encyclopedia
Ralph Julian Rivers was a Democratic
U.S. Representative from Alaska
.
, Rivers attended grammar school in Flat, Alaska
, and Franklin High School
in Seattle. He worked as a gold
miner
in Flat from 1921 to 1923, and then earned an LL.B. from the University of Washington
in 1929. He then worked as a lawyer in private practice for several years.
Rivers was a lifelong civil servant, working in a number of public positions throughout his life. He served as United States district attorney for the fourth judicial division, district of Alaska, from 1933 to 1944. He was then elected as the attorney general
of Alaska, serving from 1945 to 1949. He was the chair of the Employment Security Commission of Alaska from 1950 to 1952, and then became the mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska from 1952 to 1954. In 1954 he was also president of the League of Alaskan Cities. He was a member of the Alaska Territorial Senate in 1955, and was the second vice president of the Alaska Constitutional Convention at College, Alaska
in 1955 and 1956. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1960, 1964, and 1968.
, on a provisional basis, pending statehood. Upon the admission of Alaska as a State into the Union, he was elected as a Democrat
to the Eighty-sixth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1959 until December 30, 1966. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninetieth Congress in 1966.
Rivers died in Chehalis, Washington
, and his remains were cremated. His ashes were interred at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. Representative from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Biography
Born in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Rivers attended grammar school in Flat, Alaska
Flat, Alaska
Flat is a census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the CDP was 0.- History :...
, and Franklin High School
Benjamin Franklin High School (Seattle)
Franklin High School is an inner-city public high school in Seattle, USA, administered by Seattle Public Schools.-Mission statement:To graduate students who have achieved academic excellence and who look forward to sharing their expertise, understanding, and compassion to create an increasingly...
in Seattle. He worked as a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
miner
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in Flat from 1921 to 1923, and then earned an LL.B. from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1929. He then worked as a lawyer in private practice for several years.
Rivers was a lifelong civil servant, working in a number of public positions throughout his life. He served as United States district attorney for the fourth judicial division, district of Alaska, from 1933 to 1944. He was then elected as the attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of Alaska, serving from 1945 to 1949. He was the chair of the Employment Security Commission of Alaska from 1950 to 1952, and then became the mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska from 1952 to 1954. In 1954 he was also president of the League of Alaskan Cities. He was a member of the Alaska Territorial Senate in 1955, and was the second vice president of the Alaska Constitutional Convention at College, Alaska
College, Alaska
College is a census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,493 in 2007....
in 1955 and 1956. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1960, 1964, and 1968.
U.S. House of Representatives
In 1957 and 1958, Rivers was a United States Representative-elect under the Alaska-Tennessee Plan in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on a provisional basis, pending statehood. Upon the admission of Alaska as a State into the Union, he was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Eighty-sixth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1959 until December 30, 1966. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninetieth Congress in 1966.
Rivers died in Chehalis, Washington
Chehalis, Washington
Chehalis is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,259 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County.-History:...
, and his remains were cremated. His ashes were interred at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Electoral history
Alaska's at-large congressional district: Results 1958–1966| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democrat | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 20,699 | 27,948 | ||||||
| 1960 | 25,517 | 33,546 | ||||||
| 1962 | 26,638 | 33,953 | ||||||
| 1964 | 32,556 | 34,590 | ||||||
| 1966 | 34,040 | 31,867 |