Waino Edward Hendrickson (June 18, 1896June 22, 1983) was an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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, a ...

businessman A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for th ...

, the final

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

Territory of Alaska 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 ...

, before statehood. Hendrickson was born in

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 se ...

in 1896. He served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

before he became a manager at the Juneau city dock. He worked in business before he entered politics in 1946 and was elected Mayor of Juneau. He served as mayor until 1953. He was also a member of the Territorial House from 1948 to 1953. He was Secretary of Alaska Territory from 1953 to 1959 in which capacity he served as acting governor twice because of the resignations of Governors Frank Heintzleman and

Mike Stepovich Michael Anthony Stepovich (March 12, 1919 – February 14, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the last non-acting Governor of the Territory of Alaska. Stepovich served as Territorial Governor from 1957 to 1958, and Alaska w ...

Early life

Hendrickson was born June 18, 1896, in

Juneau, Alaska 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 se ...

, where he grew up the son of

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

immigrants. After graduating from Juneau High School in 1916, he worked in the mine. After an accident, Hendrickson lost partial sight in one eye. After this, he served in the U.S. military during

, and was en route to France before the armistice was signed. After being discharged from the army, he worked as a manager at the

city dock.

Political career

Hendrickson entered politics in 1946, when, upon the urging of his friends, he was elected mayor of Juneau. In this role, he helped the city gain the power to levy and use sales tax, which had not been enforced before, leading to a lack of funding for Juneau. Because of the collection of this tax, Hendrickson developed Juneau, leading the city to become the first city in Alaska to be fully paved. He served as Mayor of Juneau until 1953. While serving in this role, he was also a member of the territorial

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from 1948 to 1953. In 1953, Hendrickson was appointed Secretary of Alaska Territory (equivalent to

Lieutenant Governor of Alaska The lieutenant governor of Alaska is the deputy elected official to the governor of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unlike most lieutenant governors in the U.S., the office also maintains the duties of a secretary of state, and indeed was named suc ...

today) by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, under Governor Frank Heintzleman. He held this office until statehood, serving as acting governor twice, once in 1957, and again from 1958 to 1959. Hendrickson was the first Alaska governor born in the territory. After statehood Hendrickson served on several government commissions, as well as chairing the

Interior Department An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

's Alaska Field Committee, and the Juneau office of the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

. He retired due to poor eyesight, in 1965.

Later life

Hendrickson would stay up at night to care for his wife, who was ill with cancer. She died in 1962. After his retirement, Hendrickson went to live with his daughter in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

, and spent the rest of his life with her until he died in 1983, at the age of 87.

References

External links

University of Alaska, Stories – Waino Hendrickson, A Man of the People

Waino Hendrickson
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' 1896 births 1983 deaths Alaska Republicans American military personnel of World War I American people of Finnish descent Businesspeople from Alaska Governors of Alaska Territory Mayors of Juneau, Alaska Members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature 20th-century American politicians Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Juneau, Alaska) 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Episcopalians {{JuneauAK-stub