Primary Name: Strong, John Franklin Alexander

Filed as: Strong, John F. A.

Also known as: John Franklin Alexander Strong; J.F.A. Strong; Governor John Strong; Major Strong

Occupation / Association: Governor of Alaska Territory; newspaper editor and publisher; charter member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo

Associated places: Salmon Creek, New Brunswick, Canada; Fredericton, New Brunswick; Spokane, Washington; Bellingham, Washington; Seattle, Washington; Tacoma, Washington; Skagway, Alaska; Dawson, Yukon Territory; Nome, Alaska; Iditarod, Alaska; Katalla, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: John F A Strong, Governor of Alaska Territory, Alaska Daily Empire founder, Nome Nugget newspaper, Skagway Klondike journalism, Soapy Smith opposition, Juneau Men’s Igloo charter members, Alaska territorial politics

Biography

John Franklin Alexander “Major” Strong was a newspaper publisher, territorial leader, and charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo. He served as the tenth Governor of the Territory of Alaska from 1913 to 1918.

Strong was born in Salmon Creek, New Brunswick, Canada, on October 15, 1856. He graduated from the New Brunswick Normal School in 1874 and spent the next fourteen years working as a teacher and store owner throughout the province.

On December 31, 1879, he married Elizabeth A. Aitken of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and the couple had three children. Strong later married Anna Hall of Seattle in 1896.

A newspaperman by profession, Strong worked with newspapers in Spokane, Bellingham, Seattle, and Tacoma. In 1897, he and his wife traveled north to Skagway during the Klondike gold rush. While planning to continue to the Klondike, the booming town of Skagway provided an opportunity for journalism. Strong soon became editor of a local newspaper and wrote strongly against the criminal activities of “Soapy” Smith and his gang, supporting the efforts of law-abiding citizens to restore order in the town.

In 1899, Strong headed to the Klondike and briefly tried prospecting before returning to newspaper work with the Dawson News. Later that year, he went to Nome, Alaska, where he established the Nome Nugget in 1900 and operated it successfully for many years.

Strong later founded newspapers in Iditarod and Katalla, and even operated a paper in a mining camp in Arizona before returning north once again. In November 1912, he founded the Alaska Daily Empire in Juneau.

President Woodrow Wilson nominated Strong as Governor of the Alaska Territory on April 17, 1913. He was sworn into office on May 21, 1913. His administration faced immediate financial difficulties when salmon canneries refused to pay a territorial tax on canned salmon, a major source of revenue for the young territorial government.

During Strong’s tenure, several important developments occurred in Alaska. Legislation and policies during this period included the implementation of workers’ compensation laws, the establishment of the territory’s first old-age pension system, the creation of a territorial Board of Education, and the authorization of a territorial university. Major events affecting Alaska at the time included the construction of the Alaska Railroad, beginning in 1914, and the creation of Mount McKinley National Park in 1917. Territorial voters also approved a prohibition referendum in 1917.

President Wilson declined to reappoint Strong to a second term, and his final day in office came in April 1918. According to later accounts, the decision may have been influenced by information suggesting that Strong, who had been born in Canada, had never formally completed the United States naturalization process.

John F. A. Strong died in Seattle, Washington on July 27, 1929.

Sources

Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850–1950, Vol. 2, pp. 309–310; Vol. 3, pp. 282–283, Ed Ferrell

Wikipedia: John Franklin Alexander Strong

Primary Name: Tanner, Josias Martin

Filed as: Tanner, Josias Martin

Also known as: Josias Tanner; “Senator Si” Tanner

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Men's Igloo; Alaska Territorial Senator; Mayor of Skagway; Deputy United States Marshal; merchant; miner

Associated places: Oakland County, Michigan; Central City, Colorado; Juneau, Alaska; Skagway, Alaska; Tacoma, Washington

Keywords: Josias Martin Tanner, Senator Si Tanner, Juneau Men's Igloo charter members, Skagway Alaska mayor, Soapy Smith era Skagway, Alaska Territorial Legislature, Skagway Vigilantes, Arctic Brotherhood members, Alaska-Yukon pioneers

Biography

Josias Martin Tanner was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska and one of the prominent early civic leaders of Skagway during Alaska’s gold rush era.

Tanner was born in Oakland County, Michigan, on February 22, 1850. His grandfather served in the Revolutionary War, having enlisted at the age of fifteen. A brother of Tanner’s grandfather, William Tanner, was reportedly a member of President George Washington's bodyguard when the British and Loyalists attempted to capture the first President.

Known throughout Alaska as “Senator Si,” Tanner served two terms in Alaska’s territorial lawmaking assembly.

As a young man, Tanner began his career in mining. At the age of twenty, he left Michigan and went to Central City, Colorado, one of the famous mining camps of Gilpin County. There he worked in the gold mines and mills of Colorado for four years.

In 1871, he married Juliette Valentine, the sister of Emery Valentine, who later served as mayor of Juneau. Three children were born to the couple: two daughters, who later lived in Tacoma, Washington, and a son, Fred Tanner, who eventually joined his father in business in Skagway.

The family later moved to Tacoma, where Tanner worked in the contracting business. In 1896, he accepted a position in Emery Valentine’s general store in Juneau.

During the Klondike Gold Rush, he moved to Skagway in July 1897 during the Dawson stampede and remained there for the rest of his life. In Skagway, he played an important role in maintaining order during the turbulent gold rush years.

Tanner helped organize and command the Skagway Vigilantes, a citizens’ group formed to preserve law and order during the period when the notorious outlaw Soapy Smith and his gang dominated the town. Organized lawlessness in Skagway culminated in Smith’s death on July 8, 1898.

Because of his leadership and composure during the effort to drive Smith’s gang from the city, Tanner was appointed Deputy United States Marshal by Marshal J. M. Shoup and served in that position for two years.

Tanner remained active in Skagway's civic affairs for many years. He served for five years on the Skagway City Council, was elected mayor three times, and also served for five years as municipal magistrate.

He was also active in fraternal organizations, including the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Arctic Brotherhood.

In addition to his political and civic career, Tanner operated a hardware store in Skagway and held business interests in the Home Power Company of Skagway.

Sources

Ferrell, Ed. Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850–1950, Volume 2, pp. 321–322 (2009).

Alaska Digital Archives, James Joseph Connors Photograph Collection, PCA 457.