On July 24th, 1897, President McKinley appointed the District of Alaska’s first ex-officio Secretary/Surveyor General.

The position would remain throughout Alaska’s district status that ended in 1912 and continue on throughout Alaska’s territorial designation until 1959. It was then that as Alaska gained statehood that the position was changed to Secretary of State.

That new position would only last 11 years until, in 1970, that position was also abandoned and it became the Lt. Governorship designation.

  Alaska, designation, mckinley, secretary, state, surveyor general