Elmer E. Rasmuson
Encyclopedia
Elmer E. Rasmuson was an Alaskan banker and philanthropist
. He was Mayor of Anchorage from 1964 to 1967.
who had met in Yakutat. Elmer had an older sister, Evangeline, born 1906.
Elmer's father took correspondence courses in law, and in 1915, moved the family to Minneapolis, Minnesota
, where he passed the bar examination
. The family moved back to Alaska
within the year, stopping first in Juneau
before settling in Skagway
, where Edward found work as a magistrate.
Elmer attended Skagway School. In his memoirs, he called Skagway a “good town in which to grow up." While he was still in school, he worked at odd jobs in the Bank of Alaska
, which his father had taken over in 1918. He graduated from Queen Anne High School in Seattle, Washington
in 1925, and after a couple of years at the University of Washington
, transferred to Harvard University
in 1928, achieving a Bachelor of Science
in 1930 and a Master of Arts
in 1935.
, and in 1939, married Lile Bernard of New Jersey
. They had three children: Edward Bernard (born 1940), Lile (who married John A. Gibbons Jr. and was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives
in 2000), and Judy.
In 1940, Andersen sent Elmer to work in Houston, Texas
, mostly for Texaco
. Elmer returned to Skagway in 1943, recalled by his father, who began to suffer from heart disease. Elmer was installed as president of the Bank of Alaska. In 1945, the bank's headquarters were moved to Anchorage. Edward Anton Rasmuson died in 1949, leaving the bank to his son.
In 1954, together with brother-in-law Robert Atwood
(who had married Evangeline in 1932), Elmer invested in Richfield Oil's exploration of the Kenai Peninsula
. The investment yielded great profits after oil was discovered in 1957 near the Swanson River
.
In 1955, Elmer created, with his mother, the charitable Rasmuson Foundation. It was to become "the most generous private donor in Alaska history."
http://test.rasmuson.org/SiteEditor/index.php?switch=viewpage&pageid=48
Elmer's wife, Lile, succumbed to cancer
in 1960. The same year, a merger made National Bank of Alaska the largest bank in the state.
In 1961, Elmer married Mary Louise Milligan, national director of the Women's Army Corps
.
of 1964, Rasmuson ran for Mayor of Anchorage, and was elected. He served a three-year term, overseeing reconstruction of the city. In 1967, he organized the foundation of the Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum
, intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Purchase of Alaska.
In 1968, he ran for the U.S. Senate in the Republican primary
, beating out Ted Stevens
for the party's nomination. But he lost the general election
, coming second to Democrat Mike Gravel
. Incumbent Senator Ernest Gruening
, who had lost his party's nomination to Gravel, placed third.
In 1969, Rasmuson stepped down as Regent of the University of Alaska Fairbanks
, a position he had held since 1950. In 1970, the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library
was dedicated to his service.
In 1974, Elmer Rasmuson retired from work at the National Bank of Alaska, transferring the business to his son, Edward B. Rasmuson.
In 1980, Elmer Rasmuson was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the newly formed Alaska Permanent Fund
. http://www.apfc.org/reportspublications/FundHistoryB.cfm He would hold this position for 6 years.
Elmer E. Rasmuson died December 1, 2000 in Seattle, as a result of congestive heart failure. He concluded decades of philanthropic work by leaving his fortune to charity, including $19 million for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and $400 million for the Rasmuson Foundation.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He was Mayor of Anchorage from 1964 to 1967.
Origins and education
Elmer Edwin Rasmuson was born in Yakutat, Alaska to Edward Anton Rasmuson (1882-1949) and Jenny Olson Rasmuson, Swedish immigrants and missionaries of the Evangelical Covenant ChurchEvangelical Covenant Church
The Evangelical Covenant Church is an evangelical Christian denomination of more than 800 congregations and an average worship attendance of 179,000 people in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents. Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants, the church is now one of the most...
who had met in Yakutat. Elmer had an older sister, Evangeline, born 1906.
Elmer's father took correspondence courses in law, and in 1915, moved the family to Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, where he passed the bar examination
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...
. The family moved back to Alaska
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...
within the year, stopping first in Juneau
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
before settling in Skagway
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
, where Edward found work as a magistrate.
Elmer attended Skagway School. In his memoirs, he called Skagway a “good town in which to grow up." While he was still in school, he worked at odd jobs in the Bank of Alaska
National Bank of Alaska
National Bank of Alaska was Alaska's largest financial institution for the latter part of the 20th century. In 2000, it was acquired by Wells Fargo....
, which his father had taken over in 1918. He graduated from Queen Anne High School in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in 1925, and after a couple of years at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, transferred to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1928, achieving a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1930 and a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1935.
Family and work
He went to work for Arthur AndersenArthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
, and in 1939, married Lile Bernard of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. They had three children: Edward Bernard (born 1940), Lile (who married John A. Gibbons Jr. and was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
in 2000), and Judy.
In 1940, Andersen sent Elmer to work in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, mostly for Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
. Elmer returned to Skagway in 1943, recalled by his father, who began to suffer from heart disease. Elmer was installed as president of the Bank of Alaska. In 1945, the bank's headquarters were moved to Anchorage. Edward Anton Rasmuson died in 1949, leaving the bank to his son.
In 1954, together with brother-in-law Robert Atwood
Robert Atwood
Robert Bruce Atwood was the long-time editor and publisher of the Anchorage Times, and a proponent of Alaska statehood.-Biography:...
(who had married Evangeline in 1932), Elmer invested in Richfield Oil's exploration of the Kenai Peninsula
Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula is a large peninsula jutting from the southern coast of Alaska in the United States. The name Kenai is probably derived from Kenayskaya, the Russian name for Cook Inlet, which borders the peninsula to the west.-Geography:...
. The investment yielded great profits after oil was discovered in 1957 near the Swanson River
Swanson River
The Swanson River is a 96-km-long river on the Kenai Peninsula of south central Alaska. It runs generally northwest from Swanson Lake to the Cook Inlet north of Kenai, Alaska. The river is in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge....
.
In 1955, Elmer created, with his mother, the charitable Rasmuson Foundation. It was to become "the most generous private donor in Alaska history."
http://test.rasmuson.org/SiteEditor/index.php?switch=viewpage&pageid=48
Elmer's wife, Lile, succumbed to cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1960. The same year, a merger made National Bank of Alaska the largest bank in the state.
In 1961, Elmer married Mary Louise Milligan, national director of the Women's Army Corps
Women's Army Corps
The Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...
.
Political career and legacy
Critical of government response to the Good Friday EarthquakeGood Friday Earthquake
The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake, the Portage Earthquake and the Good Friday Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that began at 5:36 P.M. AST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964...
of 1964, Rasmuson ran for Mayor of Anchorage, and was elected. He served a three-year term, overseeing reconstruction of the city. In 1967, he organized the foundation of the Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum
Anchorage Museum of History and Art
The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center is a museum located in downtown Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Beginning as a public-private partnership to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Alaska purchase, it opened in 1968 with an exhibition of 60 borrowed Alaska paintings and a collection...
, intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Purchase of Alaska.
In 1968, he ran for the U.S. Senate in the Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, beating out 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...
for the party's nomination. But he lost the general election
United States Senate election, 1968
The 1968 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate which coincided with the 1968 presidential election. Richard Nixon only won the presidential election narrowly, but the Republicans picked up five net seats in the election .Republicans won open seats in Arizona and...
, coming second to Democrat Mike Gravel
Mike Gravel
Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a former candidate in the 2008 presidential election....
. Incumbent Senator Ernest Gruening
Ernest Gruening
Ernest Henry Gruening was an American journalist and Democrat who was the Governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and a United States Senator from Alaska from 1959 until 1969.-Early life:...
, who had lost his party's nomination to Gravel, placed third.
In 1969, Rasmuson stepped down as Regent of the University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
, a position he had held since 1950. In 1970, the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library
Elmer E. Rasmuson Library
The Elmer E. Rasmuson Library is the largest library in the U.S. state of Alaska, housing just under a million volumes. It is located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. It is named in honor of Elmer E...
was dedicated to his service.
In 1974, Elmer Rasmuson retired from work at the National Bank of Alaska, transferring the business to his son, Edward B. Rasmuson.
In 1980, Elmer Rasmuson was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the newly formed Alaska Permanent Fund
Alaska Permanent Fund
The Alaska Permanent Fund is a constitutionally established permanent fund, managed by a semi-independent corporation, established by Alaska in 1976, primarily by the efforts of then Governor Jay Hammond...
. http://www.apfc.org/reportspublications/FundHistoryB.cfm He would hold this position for 6 years.
Elmer E. Rasmuson died December 1, 2000 in Seattle, as a result of congestive heart failure. He concluded decades of philanthropic work by leaving his fortune to charity, including $19 million for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and $400 million for the Rasmuson Foundation.