Edgar Paul Boyko
Encyclopedia
Edgar Paul Boyko was an Alaska
n attorney
. He served as Attorney General
for the State of Alaska under the administration of Governor Walter Hickel from 1967 to 1968.
, Austria
on October 19, 1918 to Myron David, an eye doctor, and Florence Boyko, an opera singer. He attended the University of Vienna
, but after the German annexation of Austria
in 1938, he moved to Scotland
. Boyko completed a degree in chemistry
at St. Andrews University where he married his high school girlfriend Blanka Kohn. In 1939, the couple emigrated to the United States
, where Boyko worked several jobs before receiving a law degree from the University of Maryland in 1945.
Boyko moved to Alaska in 1952 to work as an attorney for the Bureau of Land Management
. The next year, he entered private practice, eventually practicing law in both Alaska and California. He became known for mounting daring defenses in difficult cases, as well as for his theatrical and idiosyncratic style. Boyko said a trial should be a performance for the jury. He wore a pinstripe suit, a vest and gold jewelry, and in later years added a cane. He was known to use astrology
in the process of jury selection
.
In 1956, Boyko defended Jack Marler, a former Internal Revenue Service
agent accused of tax evasion. Despite a prosecution by later-Senator Ted Stevens
, Marler was acquitted on a defense of "no taxation without representation
", with Boyko citing the Territory of Alaska's lack of representation in the U.S. Congress.
Boyko was appointed Attorney General for Alaska during the first administration of Governor Walter J. Hickel, from 1967-1968. Boyko helped to form the Governor's Task Force on Native Land Claims which led to the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
in 1971
Back in private practice, Boyko's clients included Wesley Ladd, accused in the 1972 murder of Ferris Rezk. Ladd was acquitted despite eyewitness testimony but later charged with the 1973 murder of Johnny Rich, who had testified for the prosecution in the Rezk case. When Ladd called Boyko to represent him in the Rich case, Boyko responded, "Sorry, only one miracle per customer."
Boyko wrote a newspaper column and hosted a radio talk show, both called The Roar of the Snow Tiger, which offered his political views and commentary. Boyko was a lifelong Democrat, but in 1990 he joined the Alaskan Independence Party
(AIP) to assist former governor Walter Hickel in taking over AIP's spot on the ballot and winning the governorship.
After suffering a series of stroke
s in 1998, Boyko moved to the Seattle area in 1999. He died January 1, 2002 in a Des Moines, Washington
hospital.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
n attorney
Attorney at law
An attorney at law in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients. Alternative terms include counselor and lawyer...
. He served as Attorney General
Alaska Attorney General
The Alaska Attorney General is the chief legal advisor to the government of the State of Alaska and to its governor. The Attorney General is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska Legislature. The position has existed since the early days of the Territory of Alaska, though it was...
for the State of Alaska under the administration of Governor Walter Hickel from 1967 to 1968.
Biography
Edgar Boyko was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
on October 19, 1918 to Myron David, an eye doctor, and Florence Boyko, an opera singer. He attended the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, but after the German annexation of Austria
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938, he moved to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Boyko completed a degree in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at St. Andrews University where he married his high school girlfriend Blanka Kohn. In 1939, the couple emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where Boyko worked several jobs before receiving a law degree from the University of Maryland in 1945.
Boyko moved to Alaska in 1952 to work as an attorney for the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
. The next year, he entered private practice, eventually practicing law in both Alaska and California. He became known for mounting daring defenses in difficult cases, as well as for his theatrical and idiosyncratic style. Boyko said a trial should be a performance for the jury. He wore a pinstripe suit, a vest and gold jewelry, and in later years added a cane. He was known to use astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
in the process of jury selection
Jury selection
Jury selection are many methods used to choose the people who will serve on a trial jury. The jury pool is first selected from among the community using a reasonably random method. The prospective jurors are then questioned in court by the judge and/or attorneys...
.
In 1956, Boyko defended Jack Marler, a former Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
agent accused of tax evasion. Despite a prosecution by later-Senator Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
, Marler was acquitted on a defense of "no taxation without representation
No taxation without representation
"No taxation without representation" is a slogan originating during the 1750s and 1760s that summarized a primary grievance of the British colonists in the Thirteen Colonies, which was one of the major causes of the American Revolution...
", with Boyko citing the Territory of Alaska's lack of representation in the U.S. Congress.
Boyko was appointed Attorney General for Alaska during the first administration of Governor Walter J. Hickel, from 1967-1968. Boyko helped to form the Governor's Task Force on Native Land Claims which led to the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, commonly abbreviated ANCSA, was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on December 23, 1971, the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in...
in 1971
Back in private practice, Boyko's clients included Wesley Ladd, accused in the 1972 murder of Ferris Rezk. Ladd was acquitted despite eyewitness testimony but later charged with the 1973 murder of Johnny Rich, who had testified for the prosecution in the Rezk case. When Ladd called Boyko to represent him in the Rich case, Boyko responded, "Sorry, only one miracle per customer."
Boyko wrote a newspaper column and hosted a radio talk show, both called The Roar of the Snow Tiger, which offered his political views and commentary. Boyko was a lifelong Democrat, but in 1990 he joined the Alaskan Independence Party
Alaskan Independence Party
The Alaskan Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska that advocates an in-state referendum which includes the option of Alaska becoming an independent country...
(AIP) to assist former governor Walter Hickel in taking over AIP's spot on the ballot and winning the governorship.
After suffering a series of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s in 1998, Boyko moved to the Seattle area in 1999. He died January 1, 2002 in a Des Moines, Washington
Des Moines, Washington
Des Moines is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 29,673 at the 2010 census. Property within the city has been the subject of land buyouts because of noise from aircraft landing or taking off from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport two miles to the north of...
hospital.