Zachariah Joshua "Zack" Loussac (1882 – March 15, 1965) was

Mayor of Anchorage This is a list of mayors of Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage was incorporated as a city (Alaska), city on November 23, 1920. The Greater Anchorage Area Borough, which encompassed the city, was created in January 1964 ...

from 1948 to 1951.

Biography

Zachariah Joshua Loussac was a Jew born in Pokrov, Vladimir Oblast, Russia in 1882. As an engineering student, he came under scrutiny for an interest in "some of the more liberal literature of the time." In 1907, Loussac fled Tsarist Russia for Alaska, living in Nome, Unalakleet, Iditarod and

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 ...

before settling down in

Anchorage 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 ...

in 1916 to open a drugstore at Fourth Avenue and E Street. He sold out of the drugstore business in 1942, and turned his efforts to philanthropy. In 1946, with the aid of

Elmer E. Rasmuson Elmer Edwin Rasmuson (February 15, 1909 – December 1, 2000) was an American banker, philanthropist and politician in the territory and state of Alaska. He led the family business, National Bank of Alaska, for many decades as president and late ...

, Loussac created and endowed the Loussac Foundation, "dedicated to the promotion of recreational, cultural, scientific or educational activities in the Anchorage area." The next year, Loussac was elected to the first of two consecutive terms as Mayor of Anchorage. In 1949, at the age 66, he married Ada Harper. It was his only marriage. In 1951, the Loussac Foundation underwrote the construction of a new, modern building to house the library at Fifth Avenue and F Street, replacing the older, cramped facilities at Fifth and E Street. In 1952, Loussac served as an Alaska Territory Delegate to the

Democratic National Convention 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 ...

. Over time, he also served as President of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

and the Pioneers of Alaska. The new library, which became known as the Loussac Library, opened its doors in 1955, by which time, Loussac had retired to Seattle. The library building was also home to the Cook Inlet Historical Society Museum, which later became the

Anchorage Museum of History and Art The Anchorage Museum is a large art, history, ethnography, ecology and science museum located in a modern building in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska. It is dedicated to studying and exploring the land, peoples, art and history of Alaska. The mu ...

. On July 13, 1962, Loussac joined the municipally sponsored "Loussac Day" celebration to commemorate his 80th birthday. He died in Seattle on March 15, 1965. His ashes are interred in Angelus Memorial Park in Anchorage. The first Loussac library was demolished in 1981 to make way for the

William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center The William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center (commonly known as simply the Egan Center) is a convention center located in downtown Anchorage, Alaska at 555 West Fifth Avenue. Constructed in 1984 as part of a massive Anchorage-wide public wor ...

. In 1986, Anchorage opened a new four-story public library in midtown which was named the Z.J. Loussac Public Library.

References

History of Anchorage

"Who was the Loussac Library named after?"

*

Bibliography

* Levi, Steven C. ''Zachery Joshua Loussac'' (2001) {{DEFAULTSORT:Loussac, Zachariah J. 1882 births 1965 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Alaska Alaska Democrats Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Jewish American people in Alaska politics Mayors of Anchorage, Alaska Jewish mayors of populated places in the United States Russian Jews