Bob Bartlett

Edward Lewis Bartlett (April 20, 1904 – December 11, 1968), known as Bob Bartlett, was an Alaska politician and a member of the Democratic Party.

For other people with similar names, see Edward Bartlett (disambiguation) and Robert Bartlett (disambiguation).
Bob Bartlett
United States senator
from Alaska
In office
January 3, 1959 – December 11, 1968
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byTed Stevens
Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alaska's at-large district
In office
January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1959
Preceded byAnthony Dimond
Succeeded byRalph Rivers (Representative)
Personal details
Born
Edward Lewis Bartlett

(1904-04-20)April 20, 1904
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedDecember 11, 1968(1968-12-11) (aged 64)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Vide Gaustad
EducationUniversity of Washington, Seattle
University of Alaska, Fairbanks (BA)

Career

Bartlett was born in Seattle to Edward C. and Ida Florence (née Doverspike) Bartlett. After attending the University of Washington from 1922 to 1924, Bartlett graduated from the University of Alaska in 1925, then began his career in politics. A reporter for the Fairbanks Daily News until 1933, he accepted the position of secretary to Delegate Anthony Dimond of Alaska. Three years later he became the chairman of the Unemployment Compensation Commission of Alaska.

On January 30, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him secretary of the Alaska Territory. Beginning in 1945, Bartlett served as the delegate from Alaska to the 79th and the six succeeding Congresses. Continuing his civic service, he was president of the Alaska Tuberculosis Association and served as a member of the Alaska War Council. He labored constantly for statehood; upon Alaska's admission to the Union in 1959 he became the first senator from Alaska and served until 1968.

Bartlett possessed the reputation of a quiet man of achievement. The Library of Congress estimates that he had more bills passed into law than any other member in congressional history. Before statehood, he was writing legislation (sponsored by other congressional representatives), such as the Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act of 1956. Some of his bills included the Radiation Safety Bill and the Bartlett Act, requiring all federally funded buildings to be accessible to the handicapped.

Personal life

Death

Bartlett died following heart surgery on December 11, 1968, at Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Bartlett was buried in Northern Lights Memorial Park, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Legacy

In 1971, the state of Alaska commissioned Felix de Weldon to create a bronze statue of Bartlett which resides in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol.

A substantial number of buildings, place names and more have been named after Bartlett in Alaska over the years. The most notable of these include Bartlett Regional Hospital (originally St. Ann's Hospital, and known for a time as Bartlett Memorial Hospital), the hospital serving Juneau, Alaska,[1] as well as Bartlett High School in Anchorage and Bartlett Hall at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

See also
  • List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)

References
  1. "Accumulated Fragments - Bartlett: the stories behind the name". Juneau Empire. November 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Anthony Dimond		 Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alaska Territory's at-large congressional district
1945–1959		 Succeeded by
Ralph Rivers
as Representative
Party political offices
First Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Alaska
(Class 2)
1958, 1960, 1966		 Succeeded by
Wendell Kay
U.S. Senate
New seat U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Alaska
1959–1968
Served alongside: Ernest Gruening		 Succeeded by
Ted Stevens
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.