Ralph Julian Rivers (May 23, 1903 – August 13, 1976) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the first

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

from

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, serving from statehood in 1959 to his resignation in 1966 following his defeat by Republican Howard W. Pollock. He previously served as the shadow U.S. Representative from

Alaska Territory The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; th ...

from 1956 to 1959.

Biography

Born in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

to Louisa Zenaide (née Lavoy) and Julian Guy Rivers, Rivers attended grammar school in

Flat, Alaska Flat is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the CDP was 0, down from 4 residents in 2000. Its post office closed in January 2004. Few buildings are inhab ...

, and Franklin High School in Seattle. He worked as a

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

in Flat from 1921 to 1923, and then earned an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Asso ...

in 1929. He then worked as a lawyer in private practice for several years. Celebrating alaska statehood

Rivers was a lifelong civil servant, working in a number of public positions throughout his life. He served as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for District of Alaska, from 1933 to 1944. He was then elected as the

attorney general of Alaska The Alaska Attorney General is the chief legal advisor to the government of the State of Alaska and to its governor. The Attorney General is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska Legislature. The position has existed since the earl ...

, serving from 1945 to 1949. He was the chair of the Employment Security Commission of Alaska from 1950 to 1952, and then became the

mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska The following provides a listing of the individuals who have served as mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska, as well as the ten mayors of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, a county equivalent which includes the city. Fairbanks, a home rule city in the U ...

from 1952 to 1954. In 1954 he was also president of the League of Alaskan Cities. He was a member of the Alaska Territorial Senate in 1955, and was the second vice president of the Alaska Constitutional Convention at

College, Alaska College (Lower Tanana language, Lower Tanana: Trothyeddha') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statisti ...

in 1955 and 1956. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Conventions The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1960, 1964, and 1968. Rivers appeared on the game show ''

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

'' as contestant #1 in the second group of contestants on June 2, 1959. Rivers died at his home in

Chehalis, Washington Chehalis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,439 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is located in the Chehalis valley and is split by Interstate 5 (I-5) and State Route 6 ...

on the morning of August 13, 1976.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1957 and 1958, Rivers was a United States Representative-elect under the Alaska-Tennessee Plan in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on a provisional basis, pending statehood. Upon the admission of Alaska as a State into the Union, he was elected as a

Democrat 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Eighty-sixth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1959 until December 30, 1966. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninetieth Congress in 1966, resigning days before the end of his term. While in Congress, he voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1960 The Civil Rights Act of 1960 () is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote. It dealt primarily wi ...

and the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

. He voted as well for the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

Electoral history

Alaska's at-large congressional district: Results 1958–1966

References

External links

*
Ralph Rivers
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, Ralph Julian 1903 births 1976 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Alaska 20th-century American lawyers Alaska attorneys general American gold prospectors Delegates to Alaska's Constitutional Convention Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alaska Franklin High School (Seattle) alumni Lawyers from Fairbanks, Alaska Mayors of Fairbanks, Alaska Members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature People from Chehalis, Washington People from Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska Politicians from Seattle United States attorneys for the District of Alaska University of Washington School of Law alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives