Below is a collection of resources relevant to the history of the Alaska Bar that have been prepared by the Historians Committee.
Table of Contents
Alaska Constitutional Convention
Bare Beer Bunch
Photos may be viewed here of Hugh Wade’s picnic which took place during the Alaska Bar’s annual convention in Juneau, Alaska.
Courthouses
Old Anchorage Courthouse
Local Bar Petitions for Courthouse, Anchorage Daily Times, March 8, 1917 at 2 P.M.
Bethel Courthouse
Dillingham Courthouse
Pictures of Nesbett Courthouse being constructed – Coming Soon
Nesbett Courthouse – Building was completed in early 1996
Floating Court
James H. Chenoweth, The Last Voyage of the Floating Court: 22 (1) Alaska Bar Rag 22 (Jan-Feb 1998)
James H. Chenoweth, The Last Voyage of the Floating Court: Stebbins to Nome, 22 (2) Alaska Bar Rag 8 (Mar-Apr 1998)
James H. Chenoweth, Home from the Final Voyage of Alaska’s Floating Court: 22 (3) Alaska Bar Rag 8 (May-Jun 1998)
Claus-M. Naske, Alaska’s FLoating Court: 11 W. Legal Hist. 163 (1998)
Michael Schwaiger, Salmon, Sage-Brush, and Safaris: Alaska’s Territorial Judicial System and the Adentures of the Floating Court: 1901-1915, 26 Alaska L. Rev. 97 (2009)
The Last Trip of the Floating Court
Great Alaska Bar Fight
Historians Luncheons
The Alaska Bar Historians Committee hosts an annual Historians Luncheon, featuring presentations on notable events and figures in Alaska’s legal history. To view a complete list, click here.
History of the Alaska Federal & State Courts
Russ Arnett, Formation of the Alaska Court System, 2 (8) Alaska Bar Rag 5 (1979)
Mildred R. Hermann, Building a State Judiciary, 39 Neb. L. Rev. 265 (1960)
Claus-M. Naske, Alaska Court System and University of Alaska, A History of the Alaska Federal District Court System, 1884-1959, and the Creation of the State Court System (1985).
Claus-M. Naske, The Shaky Beginnings of Alaska’s Judicial System, 1 W. Legal Hist. 163 (1988)
History of the Attorney General's Office
Judge Nora Guinn
Judge Von der Heydt
Judge James von der Heydt served as a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Alaska from 1966-2013. Click here to view photos.
Michael Carey Presentations
Michael Carey is an occasional columnist and the former editorial page editor of the Anchorage Daily News. In retirement, he has taken an interest in the law – especially the regulation of morals and has presented many programs for the AK Bar. For a full list of presentations click here.
Oral History Collection
Joint Archives of the Alaska Court System and the Alaska Bar Association Oral History Collection
Contact the Alaska State Court Law Library (907-264-0585 or library@akcourts.gov) for access
Original Eight Superior Court Judges
The original eight superior court judges of Alaska were appointed shortly after statehood in 1959. They include: Judge James von der Heydt, Judge Edward Davis, Judge James Fitzgerald, Judge Walter Walsh, Judge J. Earl Cooper, Judge Everett Hepp, Judge Hubert Gilbert and Judge Harry Arend. Click here to view the Swearing in ceremony photo.
Origins of the Alaska Bar
Proceedings of the Alaska Bar Association at Its Annual Meeting Held in the City of Juneau, November 25, 1898, Constitution, Officers and Roll of Members Included for the Year 1899 (Douglas City, Douglas Island News Publ’g House 1899).
First Women Lawyers Admitted to the Alaska Bar Association
Russ Arnett, Origins of the Alaska Bar Association, 18 (2) Alaska Bar Rag 7 (1994)
Origins of the Alaska Bar
Proceedings of the Alaska Bar Association at Its Annual Meeting Held in the City of Juneau, November 25, 1898, Constitution, Officers and Roll of Members Included for the Year 1899 (Douglas City, Douglas Island News Publ’g House 1899).
First Women Lawyers Admitted to the Alaska Bar Association
Russ Arnett, Origins of the Alaska Bar Association, 18 (2) Alaska Bar Rag 7 (1994)
Other CLE’s
Raising the Bar: The Fairer Sex Practices Law in Early Alaska
Soundscriber Presentation by Retired Superior Court Judge Niesje Steinkruger
Sources of Alaska Legal History
Frederic E. Brown, The Sources of the Alaska and Oregon Codes, Part I, 2 UCLA Alaska L. Rev. 15 (1972)
Frederic E. Brown, The Sources of the Alaska and Oregon Codes, Part II, 2 UCLA Alaska L. Rev. 87 (1973)
Susan Falk, Introduction to Researching Alaska Legislative History Materials, 28 Alaska L. Rev. 279 (2011)
W. Clinton “Buck” Sterling, Sources of Alaska Legal History: An Annotated Bibliography, Part I, 110 Law Library J. 333 (2018).
W. Clinton “Buck” Sterling, Sources of Alaska Legal History: An Annotated Bibliography, Part II, 110 Law Library J. 477 (2018).
Territorial Officials
The 22nd Territorial Senate in session in Juneau, 1955
Territorial Officials: Legislative Department – Twenty-Second Territorial Legislature
Women’s Suffrage
Governor Clark signing the Shoup Woman Suffrage Bill into law in 1913 – the 1st bill passed by the 1st territorial legislature.
YouTube Channel
Alaska Bar Association YouTube Channel
