Ralph Julian Rivers (May 23, 1903 – August 14, 1976) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the first

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

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., ...

, serving from statehood in 1959 to his resignation in 1966 following his defeat by Republican

Howard Wallace Pollock Howard Wallace Pollock (April 11, 1920 – January 9, 2011) was an American politician and Republican Representative from Alaska. Biography Pollock was born in Chicago to Olga (née Deblanc) and Oscar Tobias Pollock, and grew up in New Orleans. ...

. He previously served as the shadow U.S. Representative from

Alaska Territory The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; the ...

from 1956 to 1959.

Biography

Born in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

to Louisa Zenaide (née Lavoy) and Julian Guy Rivers, Rivers attended grammar school in

Flat, Alaska Flat is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the CDP was 0, down from 4 residents in 2000. Its post office closed in January 2004. History Prospectors J ...

, and Franklin High School in Seattle. He worked as a

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...

in Flat from 1921 to 1923, and then earned an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Washingt ...

in 1929. He then worked as a lawyer in private practice for several years. Celebrating alaska statehood

Rivers was a lifelong civil servant, working in a number of public positions throughout his life. He served as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for District of Alaska, from 1933 to 1944. He was then elected as the

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

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 The following provides a listing of the individuals who have served as mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska, as well as the ten mayors of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, a county equivalent which includes the city. Fairbanks, a home rule in the United S ...

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 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 ...

College, Alaska College (Lower Tanana: Trothyeddha') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,332, do ...

in 1955 and 1956. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Conventions The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1960, 1964, and 1968. Rivers appeared on the game show '' To Tell the Truth'' as contestant #1 in the second group of contestants on June 2, 1959.

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. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on a provisional basis, pending statehood. Upon the admission of Alaska as a State into the Union, he was elected as a

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 ...

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, resigning days before the end of his term. Rivers died in

Chehalis, Washington Chehalis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Washington. The population was 7,439 at the time of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1883, Chehalis was primarily a logging and railroad town, with a shift towards farming in the m ...

, and his remains were cremated. His ashes were interred at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Electoral history

Alaska's at-large congressional district: Results 1958–1966

References

External links

*
Ralph Rivers
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, Ralph Julian 1903 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Alaska Attorneys General American gold prospectors Delegates to Alaska's Constitutional Convention Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alaska Franklin High School (Seattle) alumni Lawyers from Fairbanks, Alaska Mayors of Fairbanks, Alaska Members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature People from Chehalis, Washington People from Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska Politicians from Seattle United States Attorneys for the District of Alaska University of Washington School of Law alumni