John Franklin Alexander Strong
Encyclopedia
John Franklin Alexander Strong (October 15, 1856 – July 27, 1929) was a Canadian-born journalist who was the 2nd Governor of Alaska Territory
from 1913 to 1918.
, Canada to Adam Robert and Janet (Nicholl) Strong on October 15, 1856. He graduated from the New Brunswick Normal School
in 1874. After graduation he spent the next fourteen years working as a store owner and teacher throughout the province. On December 31, 1879 he married Elizabeth A. Aitkens of Fredericton, New Brunswick
. The marriage produced three children: Jane, Elizabeth, and Robert. His second marriage came in 1896 when he wed Anna Hall of Tacoma, Washington
.
Strong joined the Klondike Gold Rush
in 1897. During his travels he worked at newspapers in Dawson City, Skagway, Alaska
, and Nome, Alaska
. In 1905 he established The Nome Nugget. Strong left Alaska in 1906 to work as an Editor for papers in Tonopah, Nevada
and Greenwater, California
. He returned to Alaska the next year, publishing the Herald in Katalla
. In 1910 he founded the Nugget in Iditarod
before becoming publisher of Juneau's
Alaska Daily Empire in 1912.
nominated Strong to become Governor of Alaska Territory on April 17, 1913. The nomination was in keeping with a 1912 Democratic plank
calling for territorial governors to be area residents. The new governor was sworn into office on May 21, 1913.
Soon after becoming governor, Strong was faced with a financial crisis. The territory's salmon canneries, claiming the recently enacted tax on canned salmon was illegal, refused to pay. The tax was a major source of income for the territory and the lack of funds thus created severely limited Strong's ability to implement development projects. This issue continued until after the governor left office.
Significant legislation signed into law by Governor Strong included the granting of United States citizenship to members of the indigenous population
that gave up tribal life, implementation of workers' compensation
and the United States' first old age pension, authorization of a territorial university, and creation of a Board of Education. Additionally, in 1917, the voters in the territory approved a prohibition
referendum
. Other changes affecting the territory was the authorization for construction of the Alaska Railroad
in October 1914, loosening of federal controls on road building and coal mining, and creation of Mount McKinley National Park in 1917.
President Wilson declined to reappoint Strong to a second term as governor and his final day in office came in April 1918. According to U.S. Senator, and Alaskan history expert, Ernest Gruening
this was because the President has been given information indicating the Canadian-born Strong had never been naturalized
as a United States Citizen.
, he returned to the United States in 1924. Strong died on July 27, 1929 in Seattle from a heart attack.
Alaska Territory
The Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
from 1913 to 1918.
Background
Strong was born in Salmon Creek, New BrunswickNew Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada to Adam Robert and Janet (Nicholl) Strong on October 15, 1856. He graduated from the New Brunswick Normal School
New Brunswick Teachers' College
The New Brunswick Teachers' College was a normal school in Fredericton, New Brunswick which granted teaching certificates.It was founded on February 10, 1848 as the Provincial Normal School with Joseph Marshall de Brett Maréchal, Baron d'Avray as the first principal...
in 1874. After graduation he spent the next fourteen years working as a store owner and teacher throughout the province. On December 31, 1879 he married Elizabeth A. Aitkens of Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
. The marriage produced three children: Jane, Elizabeth, and Robert. His second marriage came in 1896 when he wed Anna Hall of Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
.
Strong joined the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
in 1897. During his travels he worked at newspapers in Dawson City, Skagway, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
, and Nome, Alaska
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
. In 1905 he established The Nome Nugget. Strong left Alaska in 1906 to work as an Editor for papers in Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah is a census-designated place located in and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95 approximately mid-way between Las Vegas and Reno....
and Greenwater, California
Greenwater, California
Greenwater — formerly, Ramsey, The Camp, and Kunze — was an unincorporated community near Death Valley in eastern Inyo County, California. It is now a deserted ghost town.-Geography:...
. He returned to Alaska the next year, publishing the Herald in Katalla
Katalla, Alaska
Katalla is a ghost town in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska, southeast of Cordova. The name of this town was sometimes spelled Catalla. It is now abandoned.- Geography :...
. In 1910 he founded the Nugget in Iditarod
Iditarod, Alaska
Iditarod is an abandoned town in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska.- Geography :It is on a horseshoe lake that was once a bend in the Iditarod River, northwest of Flat, ultimately flowing into the Yukon river.- History :...
before becoming publisher of Juneau's
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
Alaska Daily Empire in 1912.
Governorship
President Woodrow WilsonWoodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
nominated Strong to become Governor of Alaska Territory on April 17, 1913. The nomination was in keeping with a 1912 Democratic plank
Party platform
A party platform, or platform sometimes also referred to as a manifesto, is a list of the actions which a political party, individual candidate, or other organization supports in order to appeal to the general public for the purpose of having said peoples' candidates voted into political office or...
calling for territorial governors to be area residents. The new governor was sworn into office on May 21, 1913.
Soon after becoming governor, Strong was faced with a financial crisis. The territory's salmon canneries, claiming the recently enacted tax on canned salmon was illegal, refused to pay. The tax was a major source of income for the territory and the lack of funds thus created severely limited Strong's ability to implement development projects. This issue continued until after the governor left office.
Significant legislation signed into law by Governor Strong included the granting of United States citizenship to members of the indigenous population
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
that gave up tribal life, implementation of workers' compensation
Workers' compensation
Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence...
and the United States' first old age pension, authorization of a territorial university, and creation of a Board of Education. Additionally, in 1917, the voters in the territory approved a prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
. Other changes affecting the territory was the authorization for construction of the Alaska Railroad
Alaska Railroad
The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...
in October 1914, loosening of federal controls on road building and coal mining, and creation of Mount McKinley National Park in 1917.
President Wilson declined to reappoint Strong to a second term as governor and his final day in office came in April 1918. According to U.S. Senator, and Alaskan history expert, 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:...
this was because the President has been given information indicating the Canadian-born Strong had never been naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
as a United States Citizen.
Later life
After leaving office, Strong established his home in Seattle, Washington while wintering in Los Angeles. In 1922 he began a world tour. After spending a year in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, he returned to the United States in 1924. Strong died on July 27, 1929 in Seattle from a heart attack.