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 State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska 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 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 rejecting gu ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

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 The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality A mu ...

, the elder of two sons born to Thelma Catherine (née Wait) and Elton Engstrom, Sr. His father moved to Juneau from

Wrangell Wrangel or Wrangell is a Germanic surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Wrangel family, or Wrangell, a Baltic German noble family, including a list of notable family members *Basil Wrangell (1906–1977), Italian film and television ...

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 land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. He graduated from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and received his law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. 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 Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

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

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

nominee

Elmer E. Rasmuson Elmer Edwin Rasmuson (February 15, 1909 – December 1, 2000) was an American banker, philanthropist and politician in the territory and state of Alaska. He led the family business, National Bank of Alaska, for many decades as president and late ...

, 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 1 ...

, in 2002 but she was elected to the Alaska House in 2008 from a district centered on Juneau's

Mendenhall Valley The Mendenhall Valley (historically Mendenhall, colloquially The Valley) is the drainage area of the Mendenhall River in the U.S. state of Alaska. The valley contains a series of neighborhoods, comprising the largest populated place within the ...

. 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 was founded on November 2, 1912, as the ''Alaska Daily Empire''. In 1969 Morris Communications bought the newspaper. Mark Bryan was appointed publisher in 2009, but left ...

'' 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