Alaska: Government, Politics, and Higher Education

Alaska operates under a constitution drawn up and ratified in 1956 (effective with statehood). Its executive branch is headed by a governor and a secretary of state, both elected (on the same ticket) for four-year terms. Alaska's bicameral legislature has a senate with 20 members and a house of representatives with 40 members. The state sends two senators and one representative to the U.S. Congress and has three electoral votes. Following statehood, the governorship changed hands between the Democrats and Republicans, but the Republicans have dominated the office for the last two decades.

Alaska's educational institutions include the University of Alaska and Alaska Pacific Univ., at Anchorage.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Statehood to the Present
• Territorial Status
• The Gold Rush
• Early Years as a U.S. Possession
• Russian Colonization
• Government, Politics, and Higher Education
• Economy
• Land and People
• Facts and Figures

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