Bob Bartlett: Difference between revisions

{{OtherSimilar people5names|Edward Bartlett (disambiguation)|Robert Bartlett (disambiguation)}}

Bartlett was born in [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]], as Edward Lewis Bartlett, to Edward C. and Ida Florence (''née'' Doverspike) Bartlett.<ref name="geni">{{cite web|url=https://www.geni.com/people/Bob-Bartlett-US-Senator/6000000032982042946|title=Bob Bartlett, US Senator - Geni|access-date=2022-04-28}}</ref> Bartlett's elder sister, Doris, insisted on calling the young Bartlett 'Bob', which became a name whichthat stuck for life.<ref name="notable">{{cite web|url=https://www.alaska.edu/uajourney/notable-people/fairbanks/bob-bartlett/|title=Bob Bartlett|access-date=2022-05-05}}</ref> After attending the [[University of Washington]] from 1922 to 1924, Bartlett graduated from the [[University of Alaska Fairbanks|University of Alaska]] in 1925.

[[File:Bob Bartlett on the USS Midway.jpg|225px|thumb|left|Bartlett on the [[USS Midway (CV-41)|USS ''Midway'']]]]

Shortly after his graduation, Bartlett began his career in politics. A reporter for the ''[[Fairbanks Daily News Miner|Fairbanks Daily News]]'' from 1924 until 1933,<ref name="notable" /> he accepted the position of secretary to Delegate [[Anthony Dimond]] of [[Alaska]], serving in that role for a year. Three years later, he became the chairman of the Unemployment Compensation Commission of Alaska., serving from 1937 to 1939.<ref name="histo">{{cite web|url=https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/9032?ret=True|title=BARTLETT, Edward Lewis (Bob)|access-date=2022-05-05}}</ref><ref name="bio">{{cite web|url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/B000201|title=BARTLETT, Edward Lewis (Bob) 1904 – 1968|access-date=2022-05-14}}</ref>

Bartlett's father died in 1935, so he returned to Fairbanks to run his family's mining business. However, Bartlett wasn't a big fan of mining, and looked back to the political arena in 1938.<ref name="notable" />

On January 30, 1939, President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] appointed him secretary of the [[Territory of Alaska|Alaska Territory]], serving under Governors [[John Weir Troy]] in 1939 &and [[Ernest Gruening]] from 1939 to 1944.<ref name="notable" /><ref name="histo" /> Bartlett served as acting Governor multiple times, such as during the opening of the [[Alaska Highway|Alaska-Canada Highway]].<ref name="cap">{{cite web|url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/BARTLETT/bartbio.html|title=Biography: The "Unveiling" of Senator Bartlett|access-date=2022-05-03}}</ref>

Bartlett labored constantly for statehood, being a member of the Alaska Statehood Committee. Bartlett, as delegate, was the one who introduced the [[Alaska Statehood Act]] into Congress, being key in shepherding it'sits passage.

Bartlett was elected as one of Alaska's inaugural Senators along with former Territorial Governor [[Ernest Gruening]] in [[1958 United States Senate elections in Alaska|1958]]. Bartlett, on account of his service as a Delegate, was nominated as the senior U.S. senator, a decision whichthat upset Gruening. Gruening challenged this, leading to a coinflip. Bartlett won the coinflip, which ended the dispute. Due to aA rivalry with Gruening, made Bartlett nicknamednickname Gruening 'Junior' for the rest of his life.<ref name="junior">{{cite news|url=https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/2021/10/31/for-alaskas-2-first-senators-an-epic-battle-of-ego-came-down-to-a-coin-flip/|title=For Alaska's first senators, an epic battle of ego came down to a coin flip|date=November 1, 2021|newspaper=Juneau Empire|accessdate=2022-04-27}}</ref><ref name="notable" />

In the [[1968 United States Senate election in Alaska|1968 Senate race]], Bartlett's long-time colleague, [[Ernest Gruening]], was defeated in the Democratic primary by political newcomer and former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, [[Mike Gravel]]. Gruening and his supporters launched a write-in campaign against Gravel &and the Republican nominee, former [[List of mayors of Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage Mayor]] [[Elmer E. Rasmuson|Elmer Rasumson]], who had defeated [[1962 United States Senate election in Alaska|1962]] nominee [[Ted Stevens]]. Gruening fully expected Bartlett's endorsement in the race, as they had worked together for nearly 3three decades. Bartlett put out an official statement in an advert, stating "On August 27th, Alaskans in the primary election chose Mike Gravel as Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate over Ernest Gruening. The voters spoke." as the ad went on, Bartlett added "I have put personal considerations aside in this decision. The time comes when a man must speak out. I speak out now! I support the Democratic majority. I support Mike Gravel." Gruening was devastated, and couldn'tcould not figure out why Bartlett had endorsed Gravel over him.<ref name="washington" >{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-u1dozUM8Q|title=Mr Alaska: Bob Bartlett Goes to Washington|website=[[YouTube]]|access-date=2022-05-28}}</ref>

Following the [[1964 Alaska earthquake]], Bartlett was part of the inspection team, and he contributed to efforts to rebuild [[Anchorage]], along with Governor [[Bill Egan]], Representative [[Ralph Rivers]] and Senator Gruening.<ref name="first" /> Bartlett & Gruening came into Alaska on [[Air Force One]], thanks to [[Edward McDermott]], Director of the Office of Emergency Planning. President [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Johnson]] declared Alaska a 'major disaster area'. Bartlett &and Gruening reported the damage back to Johnson, where he sent federal aid.<ref name="washington" />

[[File:Celebrating alaska statehood.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Bartlett, (bottom, third from right), celebrating Alaska Statehood next to a 49 -star U.S. Flag, held by [[Robert Atwood]].]]

[[File:Alaskan Senators with 49 Star Flag.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Bartlett &and [[Ernest Gruening]] hold the 49 -star U.S. Flagflag after the admission of Alaska as the 49th state.]]

Bartlett re-introduced the Alaska Statehood Act in 1950, with the backing of President [[Harry Truman]],<ref name="notable" /> although, after passing the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] by a 40-vote margin, it was killed in committee in the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. Bartlett remained unfazed, callingand he called on Alaskans to join his fight for statehood. Alaskans responded with the 1956 constitutional convention, which elected Shadow U.S. Senators [[William A. Egan]] &and [[Ernest Gruening]], as well as Shadow U.S. Representative [[Ralph Rivers]], all sworn in on October 6, 1956. The convention also created a state constitution for Alaska. The shadow Congressmen's main goal was to request, or demand, Alaskan statehood from the U.S. Congress. The Convention drew national attention to the fight for Alaskan Statehood.<ref name="washington" /> With the pressure from the convention &and Bartlett, whoof whom members of Congress were very fond of,<ref name="washington" /> congressmen &and other federal politicians rapidly switched their opinions, most notably [[Sam Rayburn]], the powerful Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], and President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], all of whom had been courted by Bartlett, after previous opposition.<ref name="cap" /><ref name="notable" /><ref name="washington" />

In 1958, the [[Alaska Statehood Act|bill for Alaska Statehood]] was re-introducedreintroduced, backed by Eisenhower, Johnson, &and Rayburn. The main opponents of the bill were SouthernRepublicans Democratsand &Southern RepublicansDemocrats. Republicans feared that Alaska, a Democratic-leaning state, would elect Democrats to Congress. Southern Democrats feared that Alaska, a state with a high native population whichand that had passed one of the [[Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945|first laws against discrimination]], would elect pro-civil rights Senators.<ref name="cap" />

The bill would pass the House in April 1958,<ref name="cap" /> defeatingand defeat competition from powerful Virginia Representative &and Chair of the House Rules Committee, [[Howard W. Smith]], as well as Washington Representative [[Thomas Pelly]]. Bartlett used a powerful procedure, which had been omitted shortly after 1912, due to the fact that thebecause Congress did not plan to add any more states after [[Arizona]]. However, the Library of Congress found that the procedure had never been formally abolished. The procedure would've have allowed every single Representative to speak on the floor for an hour. Facing the possibility of more than 400 hours of debate, Smith and the other Representatives who were in opposition all backed down.<ref name="washington" /> Bartlett was key in shepherding the bill through the Senate, where it passed on June 30, 1958, by a vote of 64–20. Following this, the chamber broke into applause. Bartlett missed this, as he held the promise that he would call back home to Alaska if the bill passed. Bartlett was in his office, calling Alaskans, for most of the night.<ref name="washington" />

Bartlett was a heavy smoker throughout his life, and his health started to fail in the months leading up to his death, with Bartlett receiving treatment for heart ailments. His health failures, despite Bartlett's good spirits, became obvious in campaign ads for Gravel. Bartlett had gone on a vacation to the Caribbean, though couldn't fight off the pain &and illness. Eventually, Bartlett & his family decided to get a [[coronary bypass surgery]] performed. After the surgery, Bartlett went into [[cardiac arrest]] multiple times, but he eventually started to slowly improve, before beginning to decline again.<ref name="washington" /> On December 11, 1968, at the age of 64, Bartlett died following the surgery at Cleveland Clinic Hospital in [[Cleveland, Ohio]].<ref name="first">{{cite news|url=https://www.adn.com/opinions/2018/12/20/alaskas-first-us-senator-did-more-for-the-state-than-alaskans-remember/|title=Alaska's first U.S. senator did more for the state than Alaskans remember|date=December 20, 2018|newspaper=Juneau Empire|accessdate=2022-04-27}}</ref><ref name="washington" />

Bartlett died on the same day that Governor [[Walter Hickel]] was announced as President-elect [[Richard Nixon]]'s nominee for U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Despite thisHowever, due to the passing of a new law in the [[Alaska State Legislature]], let Hickel was able to appoint a Senator from either political party. Bartlett was aware of thisthat, and, before the surgery, he left a notice to his physician reading, "Don't let your scalpel slip, because the law has changed, and the current Governor, Hickel, will appoint a Republican in my place."<ref name="washington" /> BecauseThat of this,made Hickel appointedappoint the Republican nominee for the [[1962 United States Senate election in Alaska|1962 U.S. Senate race]], Alaskan statehood activist & former senior executive official [[Ted Stevens]] to the seat. Stevens would serve for the following 40 years, serving as [[President pro tempore of the United States Senate|President pro tempore]].<ref name="notable" />

[[File:Bartlett Bust.PNG|250px|thumb|right|A picture of a bust of Bartlett on May 6, 1969. L-R: Congressman [[Howard Wallace Pollock|Howard Pollock]], Senator [[Ted Stevens]], Vide Bartlett, Senator [[Mike Gravel]], Senator [[Warren Magnuson]].]]

[[Category:20th-century American politicianslegislators]]