John E. Manders
Encyclopedia
John E. Manders was Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska
from 1945–1946 and a leading voice among opponents of Alaskan statehood.
to Robert Francis Manders and Letha Clementine Barnes Manders. In 1914, he married Henrietta Bertolas. He attended the University of San Francisco
and the San Francisco Law School
, and was admitted to the California Bar in 1918. He practiced law in San Francisco until 1941, when he moved his practice to Anchorage, Alaska
.
In 1945, Manders was elected mayor of Anchorage. He resigned on March 18, 1946, several weeks before his term was complete, in protest of plans to weaken the mayor's office by transferring powers to the city council and to a newly-created office of city manager
. "I will not be a figure-head in office," he told the press. "I'll not be a Charlie McCarthy for a bunch of Edgar Bergen
s." City Council member Winfield Ervin, Jr.
was appointed to serve as mayor until the April 2 elections.
Manders was a tax protester
, refusing to pay Federal income tax. In the 1950s, he campaigned against statehood for the Territory of Alaska, earning himself the title of "Statehood Foe #1" from Life Magazine. Manders argued that statehood would increase the taxes of Alaskan citizens. In its place, he advocated commonwealth
status for the territory. Manders became known as the "Lone Republican," because much of the rest of Alaska's prospective congressional delegation was dominated by Democrats such as Ernest Gruening
, Bob Bartlett
, Bill Egan and Ralph Rivers.
In 1958, after the U.S. Senate voted to admit Alaska as the 49th state, he told Time Magazine: "Did you ever see anybody stop a crowd on its way to a hanging? Wait till the honeymoon is over and the taxes arrive ..." In the ensuing special election, he made a bid for one of the new seats in the Senate, but failed to gain the nomination of the Republican Party.
Manders was a familiar sight in downtown Anchorage, where he was often seen walking with a cane and smoking a cigar. He belonged to the Freemasons and the Shriners
. He died the morning of February 18, 1973 at Anchorage Community Hospital.
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...
from 1945–1946 and a leading voice among opponents of Alaskan statehood.
Biography
John Edgar Manders was born February 3, 1895 in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
to Robert Francis Manders and Letha Clementine Barnes Manders. In 1914, he married Henrietta Bertolas. He attended the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
and the San Francisco Law School
San Francisco Law School
San Francisco Law School is a private, non-profit law school in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1909, the law school became non-profit in 1941 and moved to its present location in 1968...
, and was admitted to the California Bar in 1918. He practiced law in San Francisco until 1941, when he moved his practice to Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
.
In 1945, Manders was elected mayor of Anchorage. He resigned on March 18, 1946, several weeks before his term was complete, in protest of plans to weaken the mayor's office by transferring powers to the city council and to a newly-created office of city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
. "I will not be a figure-head in office," he told the press. "I'll not be a Charlie McCarthy for a bunch of Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
s." City Council member Winfield Ervin, Jr.
Winfield Ervin, Jr.
-Biography:Ervin was born in 1902 in Portland, Oregon to Winfield Ervin, Sr., a native of Lebanon, Oregon and Theora McNall of Bellingham, Washington. He moved with his family to Lewiston, Idaho and later lived in Bellingham while Ervin, Sr. worked for the Brown and Hawkins Company in Alaska. In...
was appointed to serve as mayor until the April 2 elections.
Manders was a tax protester
Tax protester (United States)
A tax protester is someone who refuses to pay a tax on constitutional or legal grounds, typically because he or she believes that the tax laws are unconstitutional or otherwise invalid...
, refusing to pay Federal income tax. In the 1950s, he campaigned against statehood for the Territory of Alaska, earning himself the title of "Statehood Foe #1" from Life Magazine. Manders argued that statehood would increase the taxes of Alaskan citizens. In its place, he advocated commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
status for the territory. Manders became known as the "Lone Republican," because much of the rest of Alaska's prospective congressional delegation was dominated by Democrats such as Ernest Gruening
Ernest Gruening
Ernest Henry Gruening was an American journalist and Democrat who was the Governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and a United States Senator from Alaska from 1959 until 1969.-Early life:...
, Bob Bartlett
Bob Bartlett
Edward Lewis "Bob" Bartlett was an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party.Bartlett was born in Seattle, Washington. After graduating from the University of Alaska in 1925, Bartlett began his career in politics...
, Bill Egan and Ralph Rivers.
In 1958, after the U.S. Senate voted to admit Alaska as the 49th state, he told Time Magazine: "Did you ever see anybody stop a crowd on its way to a hanging? Wait till the honeymoon is over and the taxes arrive ..." In the ensuing special election, he made a bid for one of the new seats in the Senate, but failed to gain the nomination of the Republican Party.
Manders was a familiar sight in downtown Anchorage, where he was often seen walking with a cane and smoking a cigar. He belonged to the Freemasons and the Shriners
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
. He died the morning of February 18, 1973 at Anchorage Community Hospital.