Attorney General William Rogers Recommends the Timing for Eisenhower’s Proclamation Admitting Alaska to the Union (1958)

Date: December 31, 1958

Created By: Williams P. Rogers

Original or Replica: Original

Era: The Presidency, Alaska & Hawaii Statehood

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 630, OF-147-D Alaska (5); NAID #12012414

In this December 31, 1958 letter, Attorney General William P. Rogers sends President Dwight D. Eisenhower a proposed proclamation formally admitting Alaska as a state. Rogers explains that the proclamation, titled Admission of the State of Alaska into the Union, had originated with the Department of the Interior and was subsequently reviewed by the Bureau of the Budget and the Department of Justice to ensure its proper form and legality. He also forwards a proposed press release concerning Alaska’s admission.

A central concern was determining exactly when Eisenhower should sign the proclamation. The White House wanted Alaska’s newly elected senators and representative to be eligible to take their seats in Congress on the same basis as other newly elected members. Under the Twentieth Amendment, the new Congress and the terms of its members would begin at noon on January 3, 1959. Rogers therefore strongly recommends that Eisenhower sign the proclamation immediately after noon that day, suggesting 12:01 p.m. as the clearest official time.

The letter provides a behind-the-scenes look at the final legal and administrative preparations for Alaska statehood. Rather than debating whether Alaska should become a state, the document shows federal officials working through the precise constitutional and procedural details necessary to formally admit Alaska to the Union and ensure that its congressional delegation could immediately assume office.