AUGUST 21, 1933

ATHABASCAN LEGISLATOR/ENTREPRENEUR JULES WRIGHT BORN

Jules, born at St. Mark’s Mission in Nenana, Alaska (AK), was son of an Athabascan father who served as deacon of the Episcopal mission. His family practiced a subsistence lifestyle. Wright attended high school in Fairbanks, AK, before serving in the U.S. Army. Afterward, he worked as an equipment operator and musher, owned several companies, mined for gold, and built and operated Manly Hot Springs Resort. Jules served as president of the Fairbanks Native Association (FNA) for 3 years and on the board of directors for Doyon Ltd. and Seth-De-Ya-Ah (Minto) Corporation before being elected in 1967 as a Republican and serving a term in the AK House of Representatives. Wright was unsuccessful in seeking a seat in the AK Senate as an independent in 1976 and in a 1984 open primary for the state house as a Republican. He spent the remainder of his life in Wasilia, AK, where he died on January 11, 2022.

Sources:  

Amanda Bohman, “20th century Native leader Jules Wright has died,” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 1/12/2022.  Retrieved, 10/16/2023, 20th century Native leader Jules Wright has died | Alaska News | newsminer.com 

Wikipedia

Photo:  State of Alaska, undated.  Public Domain.  Source: 100 Years of Alaska's Legislature (akleg.gov)