Although the official announcement that Thomas Riggs would become the third Territorial Governor of Alaska wouldn’t come until much later, President Woodrow Wilson let it be known unofficially, on July 20th, 1917, that he had made his choice as to who was going to replace John Franklin Alexander Strong as the new governor of the territory.

When Strong, who had served in Alaska’s top seat since April 18th, 1913, was asked in Seattle while on his way back to Alaska from Washington D.C., who was going to replace him as governor, Strong had no comment.

Wilson declined to re-appoint Strong for another term after he had found out that Strong, a Canadian, born in Salmon Creek, New Brunswick, had never been naturalized as an American citizen.

Riggs had worked extensively on the Alaska-Canadian border survey and then later as the commissioner overseeing the construction of the Alaska Railroad prior to his appointment.

  1917, appointment, governor, july 20, territorial, thomas riggs, woodrow wilson