Alaska Constitution

The Constitution of Alaska is the fundamental law of the U.S. state of Alaska. Drafted by 55 delegates at the University of Alaska in College, near Fairbanks, between November 1955 and February 1956, it was ratified by territorial voters on April 24, 1956, and took effect on January 3, 1959, when Alaska became the 49th state. Among the shortest state constitutions, it sets out a bicameral legislature, a strong governor, a unified court system and a distinctive public-trust approach to natural resources [1].

Constitutional Convention

Delegates met at the University of Alaska near Fairbanks beginning on November 8, 1955. The 55 delegates, 49 men and six women, were chosen to echo the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The convention sat for 75 days and adopted the document on February 5, 1956. It was led by William A. Egan, a territorial senator who later became the state’s first governor [1]. The effort was part of the broader statehood movement described in the entries on the Territory of Alaska and the Alaska Statehood Act.

Ratification

Territorial voters ratified the constitution on April 24, 1956, by 17,447 to 8,180. Voters also approved the Alaska-Tennessee Plan, under which Alaska elected an unofficial congressional delegation, by 15,011 to 9,556, and a ban on fish traps by 21,285 to 4,004. The constitution took effect on January 3, 1959, when Alaska was admitted as a state [1].

Structure

The constitution is short, about half the length of the average state constitution of roughly 26,000 words, and leaves much detail to later legislatures. It has 15 articles. Article I covers rights, largely mirroring the U.S. Bill of Rights with original provisions on discrimination and privacy. Article II creates the legislature, Article III the executive, Article IV the courts, Articles V to VII elections, reapportionment, education and public welfare, Article VIII natural resources, Article IX finance, Article X local government and Article XI the initiative, referendum and recall. The remaining articles deal with general provisions, amendment and transition, and two of them are now obsolete [1].

The Legislature

Article II creates a bicameral legislature with 20 senators, who serve four-year terms, and 40 representatives, who serve two-year terms [1]. See the entry on the Alaska State Legislature.

The Executive

Article III gives executive power to a governor elected for four years. The governor has more power than most state counterparts, appoints the heads of executive departments, and runs on a single ticket with the lieutenant governor [1].

A Unified Court System

Instead of fragmented courts, Article IV creates one unified system, with a Supreme Court and a Superior Court, and judges are selected under the Missouri Plan, in which a nominating body recommends candidates and voters later decide whether to retain them [1].

Natural Resources

Article VIII treats resources as a public trust. They are to be used for the maximum benefit of the people, consistent with the public interest, with sustained yield and common access [1]. This approach helps explain the later creation of the Alaska Permanent Fund.

Initiative, Referendum and Recall

Article XI lets voters propose and enact laws, refer laws passed by the legislature to the ballot and recall officials. Some subjects, such as appropriations and special legislation, are excluded [1].

Amendment

Amendments may originate with the legislature or a constitutional convention and are voted on at the next general election. As of 2006, 28 amendments had passed and 12 had been rejected, far fewer than the average of about 115 amendments in other state constitutions. Voters have rejected all four convention referendums held so far [1].

Constitution Hall

The convention met in Constitution Hall on the University of Alaska campus at College, a short distance west of Fairbanks. The University of Alaska describes it as the final major milestone before statehood, closing a long struggle for self-determination. Victor Fischer, a delegate who later wrote a book on the convention, and John Bebout, a consultant and professor at New York University, both credited the delegates’ dedication, the university setting and Alaskans’ sense of their land’s future for the group’s focus [3].

Governor’s Powers

The governor is the only independently elected state executive besides the lieutenant governor, which sets Alaska apart from states that elect an attorney general, treasurer and other officers. The governor appoints the attorney general and other executive positions, appoints department heads, can reorganize departments and holds a line-item veto. The convention rejected proposals for an elected attorney general, a treasurer and independent boards. The legislature can override vetoes with a three-fourths joint vote for revenue bills and two-thirds for other bills [2].

Courts and Judges

Article IV creates a statewide unified judiciary that handles both court functions and administration. Supreme Court justices serve ten-year terms, and judges face retention elections and a mandatory retirement age of 70. Under the Missouri Plan a judicial council screens candidates and sends the governor its recommendations, and the governor chooses from that list [2].

Local Government

Article X establishes a uniform borough system, with boroughs and cities as the only local governments. The design aimed to avoid problems associated with counties, such as too many elected officials and overlapping tax authority. Delegate Victor Fischer described the goal as maximum local self-government with a minimum of local government units [2].

Resource and Fiscal Provisions

Section 4 of Article VIII adopts a sustained-yield policy that the Brennan Center essay describes as the first constitutional provision to incorporate those principles. A 1972 amendment allowed the state to limit entry to fisheries to conserve salmon, and a 1976 amendment created the Alaska Permanent Fund, which receives 25 percent of oil and mineral royalties and is invested for income that funds annual dividends to residents [2].

Amendments and Constitutional Conventions

Amendments need a two-thirds vote in both legislative chambers, followed by majority approval of voters at the next statewide election. Every ten years voters decide whether to call a new constitutional convention, and none has been held. Voters have adopted 28 amendments to date. A 1972 amendment added an explicit right to privacy and a ban on sex discrimination, and a 1994 amendment expressly protected the right to keep and bear arms [2].

FAQs

When was the Alaska Constitution written? Between November 8, 1955 and February 5, 1956, at the University of Alaska near Fairbanks.

When did it take effect? On January 3, 1959, when Alaska became a state.

How many articles does it have? Fifteen.

Who led the constitutional convention? William A. Egan, later Alaska’s first governor.

What is notable about its natural resource article? It manages resources as a public trust with sustained yield and common access.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Constitution of Alaska
2. Brennan Center State Court Report: The Alaska Constitution
3. University of Alaska: The Constitutional Convention

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue