Allen Shattuck
Allen Shattuck | |
|---|---|
| President of the Alaska Senate | |
| In office March 6, 1933[1] – January 14, 1935 | |
| Preceded by | Luther Hess |
| Succeeded by | Luther Hess |
| Member of the Alaska Senate from the 1st district | |
| In office March 2, 1931 – January 14, 1935 | |
| Preceded by | Will A. Steel |
| Succeeded by | Henry Roden |
| Member of the Alaska Senate from the 1st district | |
| In office January 22, 1945 – January 27, 1947 | |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1929 – March 2, 1931 | |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 1st district | |
| In office January 27, 1941 – January 25, 1943 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Allen Shattuck October 26, 1872 Portland, Oregon, US |
| Died | July 1, 1960 (aged 87) Marin County, California, US |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | May Agnes Swineford |
| Children | 3, including Curtis |
| Relatives | Henry Shattuck (brother) Lewis Shattuck (brother) Alfred P. Swineford (step-father-in-law)[3][4] |
Allen Shattuck (October 26, 1872 – July 1, 1960) was a prominent Juneau businessman and American politician who served as member of the territorial legislature of Alaska and was president of the Alaska Territorial Senate between 1933 and 1935.
Biography
[edit]Shattuck was born in Portland, Oregon in 1872 to John W. Shattuck, a confederate veteran of the Civil War and Mary Cochran Shattuck (nee Allen), a pioneer family to the area. Shattuck was the third of nine children, his oldest brother Lewis Shattuck became the first mayor of Gresham, Oregon.
Shattuck moved to Juneau in the late 1800s and in 1900 he became part of the Shattuck & Co insurance company which had become an independent agency two years previously by E.F. Cassel and Shattuck's brother Henry Shattuck (himself prominent Juneau businessman and namesake of the Casey-Shattuck Historic neighbourhood [5] and Shattuck Way in Juneau). Shattuck purchased the other interests in 1913 becoming the sole proprietor.[6] His business activity made him a prominent resident of Juneau and he became president of the Juneau Commercial Association.[7]
Political career
[edit]Shattuck entered politics in 1929, serving two terms in the Alaska Territorial House of Representatives and three terms in the Alaska Territorial Senate between 1929 and 1947,[2] serving as the president of the Alaska Territorial Senate between 1933 and 1935. Though elected as a Democrat he opposed the policies of Democratic President Roosevelt.[8]
He was a long-time outspoken opponent of Alaskan Statehood being one of very few opponents.[8][9][10]
He is remembered today for his unsuccessful opposition to the Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945.[11][12]
Personal life
[edit]Shattuck was married to May Agnes Swineford with whom he had three children: Allen, Virginia and Curtis who also served in the Territorial Legislature.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "100 Years of Alaska's Legislature "From Territorial Days to Today", 11th Territorial Legislature". The Alaska State Legislature. 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Alaska Territorial and State Legislature Roster" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-08. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
- ^ "Album: Cruise to Alaska aboard the U.S.S. Thetis, 1887, and other Alaska scenes, through 1920". Alaska State Library – Historical Collections. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
- ^ Atwood, Evangeline; DeArmond, Robert N. (1977). Who's Who in Alaskan Politics. Portland: Binford & Mort for the Alaska Historical Commission. pp. 90, 98. ISBN 0-8323-0287-2.
- ^ "Casey-Shattuck Historic Neighborhood". Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "The New Shattuck Building, Seward at Third". The Daily Alaska Empire. February 23, 1934. p. 6.
- ^ "MR. SHATTUCK SUPPORTED". The Alaska Daily Empire. June 3, 1921. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Through the Sentinel Periscope". The Wrangell Sentinel. December 24, 1943. p. 3.
- ^ "MR. SHATTUCK ON STATEHOOD". The Daily Alaska Empire. June 11, 1951. p. 4.
- ^ "STATEHOOD IS URGED FOR ALASKAN BOOM". New York Times. April 18, 1953. p. 22.
- ^ "SUPER RACE THEORY HIT IN HEARING". The Daily Alaska empire. February 6, 1945. p. 8.
- ^ "The 19th Amendment, Elizabeth Peratrovich, and the Ongoing Fight for Equal Rights". National Park Service. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
The Alaska Equal Rights Act legislation originally was brought to the Alaska legislature in 1943 but failed. When the bill was taken up by the Alaska legislature again, in 1945, Peratrovich left a lasting mark when she challenged the discriminatory and racist comments expressed by Senator Allen Shattuck. Shattuck bemoaned the notion of equality among whites and Alaska Natives: "The races should be kept further apart. Who are these people, barely out of savagery, who want to associate with us whites with 5,000 years of recorded civilization behind us?"
- ^ "100 Years of Alaska's Legislature "From Territorial Days to Today", Allen Shattuck". The Alaska State Legislature. 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
Presidents of the Alaska Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Territorial (1912–59) |  | |
| State (since 1959) | ||