George A. Lingo
Encyclopedia
George Archibald Lingo was a Democratic
politician from the U.S. territory of Alaska
, commemorated as "a pioneer Alaskan in the true sense of the word."
A native of Anaconda, Montana
, Lingo came to Alaska in 1918 with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Archie Lingo. He finished high school in Seattle at Lincoln High
, then entered the University of Washington
. After a short UW student career, in 1923 he enrolled in the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. He received a degree in mining engineering
in 1927.
After graduation, he worked with the Mount McKinley
Tourist and Transportation Company and was active in the Mount McKinley Tourist Organization, putting the mountain on the map as a tourist attraction
as early as the late 1920s. In 1932 he was elected to the Territorial Legislature from Fairbanks
as a representative of the 4th district; he was 31 at the time, the youngest man ever elected to the House and the first AAC&SM graduate to hold public office. He served two terms in the House.
In 1934, he was appointed to the AAC&SM Board of Trustees. The following year, the Legislature, thanks in part to Lingo's efforts, changed the name of AAC&SM to the University of Alaska, and the Board of Trustees to the Board of Regents
. He continued on the Board until 1943.
On May 15, 1935, he married Dorothy Minerva (Troy) Morgan, the younger daughter of then Governor John Weir Troy
, in the Alaska Governor's Mansion
in Juneau; they honeymoon
ed in Mount McKinley
Park. In September they moved to Anchorage, where he served as registrar and receiver in the U.S. Land Office, Third Division.
Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
in 1941, Lingo enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to Naval Intelligence in Sitka. He retired from the Navy at the end of World War II
in 1945 as a commander
and moved back to Anchorage. He was a registered guide, worked on a tugboat in Southeastern Alaska, traveled by dogsled in interior Alaska, mined for gold
all over Alaska, and built the first golf course
in Anchorage.
Lingo ran for the territorial Senate
in 1954 as an independent candidate
. He received only 895 votes out of a total of 22,177 cast for the two seats available in that election. The Democrats won both seats, defeating a Republican incumbent, Wasilla
homesteader Gerrit "Heinie" Snider in the process.
In the 1950s, due to a severe bronchial condition, he and his wife moved to Palm Desert, California
, and built a home. He had counted painters Sydney Laurence
and Eustace Ziegler as friends in Alaska, and in California he became active in oil painting
, studying with some of the West's finest artists. Avid travelers, the Lingoes traveled twice around the world, and visited 60 countries. He died May 21, 1976, at Saddleback Community Hospital in Laguna Hills, California
, after a history of heart trouble. The Alaska state senate passed Senate Resolution No. 108 of the Ninth Legislature in the State of Alaska to note his passing and memorialize his extended service to the state.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from the U.S. territory of 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...
, commemorated as "a pioneer Alaskan in the true sense of the word."
A native of Anaconda, Montana
Anaconda, Montana
Anaconda, county seat of Anaconda City/Deer Lodge County, is located in mountainous southwestern Montana. The Continental Divide passes within 8 miles of the community with the local Pintler Mountain range reaching 10,379 feet...
, Lingo came to Alaska in 1918 with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Archie Lingo. He finished high school in Seattle at Lincoln High
Lincoln High School (Seattle, Washington)
Lincoln High School is a former public high school in the Seattle Public Schools district of Seattle, Washington, USA.-History:The school was built in 1906 to handle the growth in the area. It was founded in 1907; until 1971 it was a three-year high school, thereafter a four-year high school...
, then entered 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...
. After a short UW student career, in 1923 he enrolled in the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. He received a degree in mining engineering
Mining engineering
Mining engineering is an engineering discipline that involves the practice, the theory, the science, the technology, and application of extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment. Mining engineering also includes processing minerals for additional value.Mineral...
in 1927.
After graduation, he worked with the Mount McKinley
Mount McKinley
Mount McKinley or Denali in Alaska, United States is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.- Geology and features :Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton...
Tourist and Transportation Company and was active in the Mount McKinley Tourist Organization, putting the mountain on the map as a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
as early as the late 1920s. In 1932 he was elected to the Territorial Legislature from Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
as a representative of the 4th district; he was 31 at the time, the youngest man ever elected to the House and the first AAC&SM graduate to hold public office. He served two terms in the House.
In 1934, he was appointed to the AAC&SM Board of Trustees. The following year, the Legislature, thanks in part to Lingo's efforts, changed the name of AAC&SM to the University of Alaska, and the Board of Trustees to the Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
. He continued on the Board until 1943.
On May 15, 1935, he married Dorothy Minerva (Troy) Morgan, the younger daughter of then Governor John Weir Troy
John Weir Troy
John Weir Troy was an American Democratic politician who was the Governor of Alaska Territory from 1933 to 1939. He was born in Dungeness, Washington and died in Juneau, Alaska....
, in the Alaska Governor's Mansion
Alaska Governor's Mansion
The Alaska Governor's Mansion, located at 716 Calhoun Avenue in Juneau, Alaska, is the official residence of the Governor of Alaska and the governor's family. It was designed by James Knox Taylor...
in Juneau; they honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
ed in Mount McKinley
Mount McKinley
Mount McKinley or Denali in Alaska, United States is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.- Geology and features :Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton...
Park. In September they moved to Anchorage, where he served as registrar and receiver in the U.S. Land Office, Third Division.
Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
in 1941, Lingo enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to Naval Intelligence in Sitka. He retired from the Navy at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1945 as a commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and moved back to Anchorage. He was a registered guide, worked on a tugboat in Southeastern Alaska, traveled by dogsled in interior Alaska, mined for gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
all over Alaska, and built the first golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
in Anchorage.
Lingo ran for the territorial Senate
Alaska Senate
The Alaska Senate is the upper house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The Senate consists of twenty members, each of whom represents an equal amount of districts with populations of about 31,347 people . Senators serve four-year terms, without term...
in 1954 as an independent candidate
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. He received only 895 votes out of a total of 22,177 cast for the two seats available in that election. The Democrats won both seats, defeating a Republican incumbent, Wasilla
Wasilla, Alaska
Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...
homesteader Gerrit "Heinie" Snider in the process.
In the 1950s, due to a severe bronchial condition, he and his wife moved to Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
, and built a home. He had counted painters Sydney Laurence
Sydney Laurence
Sydney Mortimer Laurence was an American Romantic landscape painter and is widely considered one of Alaska's most important historical artists.-Early life:...
and Eustace Ziegler as friends in Alaska, and in California he became active in oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
, studying with some of the West's finest artists. Avid travelers, the Lingoes traveled twice around the world, and visited 60 countries. He died May 21, 1976, at Saddleback Community Hospital in Laguna Hills, California
Laguna Hills, California
Laguna Hills is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Laguna Woods—are similarly named.-Geography:...
, after a history of heart trouble. The Alaska state senate passed Senate Resolution No. 108 of the Ninth Legislature in the State of Alaska to note his passing and memorialize his extended service to the state.
External links
- Alaska's Digital Archives - Photo, taken 1935, as Alaska's territorial governor John Weir TroyJohn Weir TroyJohn Weir Troy was an American Democratic politician who was the Governor of Alaska Territory from 1933 to 1939. He was born in Dungeness, Washington and died in Juneau, Alaska....
signs legislation renaming the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines to the University of Alaska. Lingo is at right, seated. James WickershamJames WickershamJames Wickersham was a district judge for Alaska, appointed by U.S. President William McKinley to the Third Judicial District in 1900. He resigned his post in 1908 and was subsequently elected as Alaska's delegate to Congress, serving until 1917 and then being re-elected in 1930...
and Charles E. BunnellCharles E. BunnellCharles Ernest Bunnell was a district judge for the United States Fourth Judicial Division and the University of Alaska's first president, from 1921 to 1949. He ran for Alaska Territorial Delegate to Congress on the Democratic Party ticket in 1914, but was defeated...
are at left, standing.