Eben Nanauq Hopson (November 7, 1922 – June 28, 1980) was an American politician in the state of Alaska. An Iñupiaq, he was born and raised in Utqiaġvik (at the time known as Barrow) and was a heavy equipment operator. Hopson served in Alaska Territorial Legislature from 1957 to 1959 as well as the

Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or rejecting gub ...

upon statehood, representing District O from 1959 to 1967. He died from cancer in 1980 in Utqiaġvik, Alaska.

Early life

Hopson was the first person to be born in the Presbyterian mission hospital in Utqiaġvik in 1922.

Political career

Hopson served as the first mayor of Utqiaġvik, then known as Barrow. He was first elected to the position in 1972, and was subsequently reelected in 1975. In 1977, Hopson founded the Inuit Circumpolar Council, an organization dedicated for the unification of Inuit voices throughout Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. The conference formally recognized Hopson as their founder in 1980. In 1979, Hopson represented the Inuit in a court case suing the US Secretary of Commerce

Juanita Kreps Clara Juanita Morris Kreps (January 11, 1921July 5, 2010) was an American economist, educator and businesswoman who served as the 24th United States secretary of commerce under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic ...

on the grounds that the International Whaling Commission had no standing to regulate subsistence whaling for native peoples. The case was initially ruled against Hopson by the

Alaska district court The Alaska Court System is the unified, centrally administered, and totally state-funded judicial system for the state of Alaska. The Alaska District Courts are the primary misdemeanor trial courts, the Alaska Superior Courts are the primary felony ...

, but was subsequently overturned in 1980 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Death and legacy

Hopson was hospitalized in Utqiaġvik on June 16 passed away on June 28, 1980. He was survived by his wife Rebecca and 12 children. Inuit Day, a celebration of the Inuit culture, has occurred on November 7 since 2006, in honor of Hopson's legacy. The middle school serving Utqiaġvik is named after Hopson.

References

1922 births 1980 deaths Alaska Native activists Alaska Native inventors and scientists Democratic Party Alaska state senators American people of English descent Deaths from cancer in Alaska Inupiat people Mayors of places in Alaska Members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature Native American state legislators in Alaska People from Utqiagvik, Alaska 20th-century American politicians {{Alaska-politician-stub