The Constitutional Convention

The failure of Congress to pass the statehood bills led to a new strategy. In 1955, the Territorial Legislature approved a plan to have Alaskans draft a model constitution for the proposed state. The hope was that having a constitution in place would increase pressure on Congress and prove that Alaskans were ready to govern themselves.

Delegates were elected for 55 seats at the convention. The 55 delegates matched the size of the group that drafted the United States Constitution in 1787. Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks sent 31 delegates, leaving 24 to represent other communities from Kotzebue to Ketchikan. The mix included 20 business people, along with 13 lawyers and miners, fishermen, professionals, and homemakers. There was one homesteader, Yule Kilcher of Homer, and one Alaska Native, Frank Peratrovich, a Tlingit merchant from Klawock. 

Nearly all of the delegates made their support for statehood clear when they ran for convention seats. Forty-seven wanted statehood immediately, while seven favored it with some qualifications. Delegate Peter Reader, a gold miner from Nome, was the one and only opponent. 

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