Ralph Elliott Robertson (October 18, 1885 – February 28, 1961), more commonly known as R. E. "Bob" Robertson, was an American lawyer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

from the

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

and state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

, Robertson was educated at Omaha Commercial College, the Michigan College of Mines and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. He moved to Alaska in 1906 and served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the s ...

from 1920 to 1923. He also served as a trustee of the

Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for cl ...

, from 1925 to 1933. In 1955, he was elected to the

Alaska Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of Alaska was ratified on April 4, 1956 and took effect with Alaska's admission to the United States as a U.S. state on January 3, 1959. History and background The statehood movement In the 1940s, the movement for ...

as one of seven at-large delegates from the First Judicial Division. He resigned from the convention several days prior to the scheduled document signing and returned to Juneau, citing numerous issues with the finished document which he had not expressed previously. His major objection was over the apportionment of the legislature into smaller districts; the territorial legislature's districts were coterminous with that of the four judicial divisions established by the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

in 1909. Robertson did later agree to append his signature to the document, which happened shortly before his death. He was nominated by the Republican Party to run in Alaska's first U.S. Senate election in 1958, but he lost in a massive landslide to

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Bob Bartlett Edward Lewis "Bob" Bartlett (April 20, 1904 – December 11, 1968), was an Alaska politician and a member of the Democratic Party. A key fighter for Alaska statehood, Bartlett served as the Secretary of Alaska Territory from 1939 to 1945, ...

, winning just 15% against Bartlett's 84%. Robertson died on February 28, 1961, in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington. He founded the law firm of Robertson, Monagle, Eastaugh and Annis, which through minor changes in name over the years has remained one of Alaska's major law and lobbying firms. The firm made headlines in the 21st century during the candidacy of Sarah Palin for the office of

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

, due to an association dating back to her days as mayor of

Wasilla Wasilla ( Dena'ina: ''Benteh'') is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the fourth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the ...

. Robertson's son-in-law, Frederick Orlebar Eastaugh (1913–1992), was a partner in the law firm and a notable political figure in Juneau for many years. His grandson,

Robert Ladd Eastaugh Robert Ladd Eastaugh (born November 12, 1943) is an American lawyer and jurist who served on the Alaska Supreme Court from 1994 to 2009. He is the grandson of R. E. Robertson and was formerly in private practice associated with the law firm founde ...

(born 1943), who was also associated with the firm at one point, was an

associate justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

of the

Alaska Supreme Court The Alaska Supreme Court is the state supreme court for the U.S. state of Alaska. Its decisions are binding on all other Alaska state courts, and the only court its decisions may be appealed to is the Supreme Court of the United States. The Alas ...

from 1994 until retiring in 2009.

References

External links

University of Alaska Board of Regents biographies

1885 births 1961 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Alaska lawyers Alaska Republicans Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Juneau, Alaska) Delegates to Alaska's Constitutional Convention Mayors of Juneau, Alaska Michigan Technological University alumni Politicians from Sioux City, Iowa School board members in Alaska University of Alaska regents University of Washington alumni 20th-century American academics {{JuneauAK-stub