Eisenhower Issues the Presidential Proclamation Admitting Alaska as the 49th State (1959)

Date: January 3, 1959

Created By: James C. Hagerty

Original or Replica: Original

Era: Alaska & Hawaii Statehood, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 630, OF 147-D Alaska (5); NAID #12012416

This January 3, 1959 presidential proclamation by Dwight D. Eisenhower formally admits Alaska as the 49th state of the United States. The proclamation recounts the legal and electoral steps required by the Alaska Statehood Act of 1958 before statehood could become official. Congress had authorized Alaska’s admission on July 7, 1958, provided that Alaskans approved a state constitution and other propositions required under the legislation.

Eisenhower notes that Alaska voters approved the required propositions in an August 1958 election and subsequently elected state officials in November. The Acting Governor of Alaska then certified the election results to the president, establishing that the requirements set by Congress had been fulfilled. With those conditions satisfied, Eisenhower declares that Alaska’s admission into the Union had been accomplished “on an equal footing with the other States of the Union.” The proclamation was issued shortly after noon on January 3, officially completing Alaska’s transition from a U.S. territory to a state. The document provides an excellent example of the constitutional and legal process of admitting a new state, illustrating the roles played by Congress, territorial voters, state elections, and the president before statehood could formally take effect.