Eisenhower Administration Prepares the Federal Government for Alaska’s Transition from Territory to Statehood (1958)

Date: Aug 4,1958

Created By: Maurice H. Sans

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 (4); NAID #12012411

This August 4, 1958 Bureau of the Budget bulletin outlines how federal agencies were to prepare for Alaska’s admission as the 49th state following passage of the Alaska Statehood Act. Acting at President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s direction, the Bureau ordered executive departments to examine how statehood would affect federal laws, programs, budgets, and administrative responsibilities in Alaska. The goal was to ensure an orderly transition from territorial government to state government and coordinate federal activities with the new State of Alaska.

Federal agencies were instructed to review existing laws, treaties, executive orders, regulations, grant programs, and organizational arrangements. They were also required to identify programs that could no longer operate under statehood without congressional or state action and determine whether new legislation or presidential directives would be necessary. Particular attention was given to federal grants and financial assistance, since Alaska would now become eligible for programs available to states and federal expenditures could change significantly. Agencies were required to report their findings to the Bureau of the Budget during the fall of 1958.

The attached Justice Department memorandum addresses another important issue: exactly when Alaska should officially become a state. Because the timing could affect the terms and seating of Alaska’s newly elected senators and representative, officials recommended that Eisenhower issue the statehood proclamation immediately after noon on January 3, 1959, after the 85th Congress had expired and the 86th Congress had begun. The memorandum warns that attempting to manipulate the proclamation’s signing or effective date could create serious legal disputes.

The document provides a valuable behind-the-scenes look at the legal, administrative, and budgetary preparations required to transform Alaska from a U.S. territory into a state, demonstrating that statehood involved far more than congressional approval alone.