Alaska Territorial Governor. He graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1906 and worked as a mining engineer in the western United States, Canada, Mexico and Canada before settling in Alaska in 1907. From 1908 to 1926 he served in several federal government positions, including Mineral Examiner, Head of the United States Land Office, and Assistant Supervisor of Public Lands Surveys. He served as an United States Army Engineer officer during World War I. In 1925 he was appointed Governor, and he served until 1933. As Governor, Parks organized the contest to design what is now Alaska's state flag. In 1934 he accepted a federal appointment as the Public Lands Office's Cadastral Survey Engineer. He retired from government service in 1938 and worked as an engineer for a Juneau construction company in which he had invested, while also serving as Vice President of the First National Bank of Juneau. Long interested in Alaska artifacts, he accumulated a collection which he donated to the Alaska State Museum. He also donated his books and papers to the University of Alaska at Juneau, including his report that set the modern boundary between Alaska and Canada. In 1975 Alaska Route 3, the highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks, was named the George Parks Highway. There is also a monument to him in Wasilla, near the Parks Highway at Newcomb Park on Wasilla Lake.
Alaska Territorial Governor. He graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1906 and worked as a mining engineer in the western United States, Canada, Mexico and Canada before settling in Alaska in 1907. From 1908 to 1926 he served in several federal government positions, including Mineral Examiner, Head of the United States Land Office, and Assistant Supervisor of Public Lands Surveys. He served as an United States Army Engineer officer during World War I. In 1925 he was appointed Governor, and he served until 1933. As Governor, Parks organized the contest to design what is now Alaska's state flag. In 1934 he accepted a federal appointment as the Public Lands Office's Cadastral Survey Engineer. He retired from government service in 1938 and worked as an engineer for a Juneau construction company in which he had invested, while also serving as Vice President of the First National Bank of Juneau. Long interested in Alaska artifacts, he accumulated a collection which he donated to the Alaska State Museum. He also donated his books and papers to the University of Alaska at Juneau, including his report that set the modern boundary between Alaska and Canada. In 1975 Alaska Route 3, the highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks, was named the George Parks Highway. There is also a monument to him in Wasilla, near the Parks Highway at Newcomb Park on Wasilla Lake.
Bio by: Bill McKern
Inscription
1925 Governor 1933
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See more Parks memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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