Elton Egedeous Engstrom Jr. (February 26, 1935 – November 6, 2013) was an American lawyer, businessman, writer, and politician. Engstrom served one term apiece in the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people pe ...

and the

Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or reje ...

as a Republican during the 1960s, leaving in 1971. He was also a part of one of Alaska's longest-enduring political families; his father served in Alaska's territorial and state senates, his mother served in the territorial house, and his daughter, Cathy Muñoz was a member of the Alaska House from 2011 through January 16, 2017. Elton Egedeous Engstrom Jr. was born in

Juneau, Alaska Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Southeast Alaska, Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the ...

, the elder of two sons born to Thelma Catherine (née Wait) and Elton Engstrom, Sr. His father moved to Juneau from Wrangell in 1928. The Engstrom family were involved in the fisheries business and in local politics in Wrangell, and the elder Engstrom would continue in both endeavors in Juneau. Engstrom served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He graduated from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

and received his law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

. He worked in the family business, the Engstrom Brothers fish brokerage, and assumed management of the firm following his father's death in 1963. He was also in business in property management and retail arts sales. He was elected to the

in 1964, serving a single term. In 1966, he was elected to the

, defeating Democratic incumbent Richard L. Peter. In 1968, Engstrom appeared statewide in television commercials endorsing Republican

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

nominee Elmer E. Rasmuson, emphasizing their shared views on fisheries issues. Engstrom would also serve only a single term as a senator, losing reelection in 1970 to Democrat Bill Ray. Elton Engstrom Jr. married Sally Gray Hudson in 1963. Their oldest child and only daughter is Cathy Muñoz, who followed in his political footsteps. Muñoz served first on Juneau's city/borough assembly. She unsuccessfully challenged Juneau's state senator,

Kim Elton Kim Steven Elton (born April 9, 1948) is a journalist, commercial fisherman, government official and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Alaska. Elton represented Juneau in the Alaska House of Representatives for two terms, from 1995 to ...

, in 2002 but she was elected to the Alaska House in 2008 from a district centered on Juneau's Mendenhall Valley. Engstrom was also a prolific writer, with an emphasis on Alaska history. He wrote a column for the ''

Juneau Empire The ''Juneau Empire'' is a newspaper in Juneau, Alaska, United States. It publishes Wednesdays and Saturdays. History The newspaper was founded on November 2, 1912, as the ''Alaska Daily Empire''. It was founded by John Franklin Alexander ...

'' for many years. With one of his sons, he wrote a biography of Alexander Baranof. He died in Juneau on November 6, 2013.Elton Engstrom Jr. dies
/ref>

References

External links

Alaska's Digital Archives
courtesy of the

Alaska Film Archives The Alaska Film Archives, located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, holds the largest collection of film related material about Alaska. The archive was established in 1968, and consists almost entirely of 16mm film dating from the years 1920 ...

– Video of television commercial where Engstrom endorses Elmer Rasmuson
Elton Engstrom Jr.
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Engstrom, Elton 1935 births 2013 deaths Alaska lawyers Republican Party Alaska state senators Businesspeople from Alaska Harvard Law School alumni Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives Military personnel from Alaska Politicians from Juneau, Alaska University of Freiburg alumni University of Oregon alumni Writers from Alaska 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American lawyers People from the Territory of Alaska 20th-century members of the Alaska Legislature