James Wickersham, an Alaskan pioneer, left a lasting legacy through his judicial/political accomplishments, writings, and the diversity of Alaska resource material in his private papers, photographs and collection of published works.

Born August 24, 1857 in Patoka, Illinois, Wickersham became a lawyer admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1880. Wickersham left Illinois, venturing west to become a probate judge for Pierce County in Tacoma, Washington. He next served as Tacoma City attorney from 1892-1898 and was a member of the Washington State House of Representatives from 1898-1900.

Appointed as a U.S. District Judge for Alaska's new third Judicial District at Eagle, Wickersham came to Alaska in 1900. He served as a judge for a district stretching from Eagle to Valdez, Prince William Sound and the upper Yukon Valley north to the Arctic Ocean. Wickersham also sat as a substitute judge in both the First (Juneau) and Second (St. Michael, later Nome) Judicial Districts. Ernest Gruening wrote of Wickersham:

"He proved to be an able and upright Judge who combined integrity with legal scholarship. When the corrupt Federal Judge of the Second Division, Arthur H. Noyes, had been removed for malfeasance after a brazen conspiracy to defraud the first successful gold miners in the Nome area of their claims, Wickersham was sent in from the Third Division to clean up the mess. Judge Wickersham promptly restored faith and confidence in the judicial system." (Box 46, Folder 17).

In 1907 his judgeship ended when he failed to receive U.S. Senate confirmation for this office. A major contribution to this judicial era was Wickersham's compilation of a multi-volume set of judicial opinions from Alaska published as ALASKA LAW REPORTS. His early experiences in interior Alaska are recorded in his book, OLD YUKON: TALES, TRAILS AND TRIALS.

In 1908 Wickersham opened a law firm in Alaska, but soon declared himself a candidate for "Delegate in Congress from Alaska." A Republican, he was elected delegate, beginning service in 1909. His political battles included several contested elections, but he served nearly six full terms from 1909 into 1921 and a seventh term from 1931-1933.

Wickersham married twice. He married Debbie Bell in 1880 and they had three sons; two died in their youth. Darrell, their surviving son, was a U.S. Naval Academy graduate. Debbie died in 1926 after years of poor health. At age seventy, Wickersham married Grace Vrooman Bishop, a widowed schoolteacher. After their marriage, they lived in Washington, D.C. for Wickersham's last term as delegate. Upon return to Alaska, they spent the rest of their lives in Juneau where Wickersham continued his law practice.

Until his death on October 24, 1939, Wickersham continued to develop his extensive library of Pacific Northwest and Alaska publications. In 1927 he published A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALASKAN LITERATURE, 1724-1924, which had spurred his collection development activity.