Papers of Marcus F. and Mamie Jensen, 1909-1990
Scope and Contents
The papers include Marcus Jensen's correspondence, selected files from the Territorial Legislature, 1947-1955, and from his work on the Guide Licensing and Game Board, 1974-1990. Also included are Mamie Jensen's records of Douglas school and alumni activities. The papers donated in 1995 pertain to Guide Licensing, Guide Unit 4, D-2 hearings, and Subsistence.
Dates
- 1909-1990
Conditions Governing Access
Unrestricted. Some school yearbooks are in fragile condition.
Conditions Governing Use
Request for permission to publish material from the collection should be discussed with the Librarian.
Biographical Note
Marcus Frederick Jensen, former Alaska legislator, big game guide and businessman, was born on August 8, 1908, in Westhope, North Dakota. In 1929, after four years of university and civil engineering training, he came north to Juneau, Alaska. He married Mamie Johana Feusi of Douglas on December 5, 1933, and since then has made Alaska home. They have one son, John Marcus Jensen, born on May 1, 1935.
Marcus Jensen was involved in the development of Douglas as businessman, president of Douglas Cannery (salmon), mayor (1945-1947) and two-term city council member. Although his family had long been staunch Republicans, he became disillusioned with the party in the late 1940s. When urged to run for the Juneau seat in the Territorial House of Representatives, he filed as a Democrat. He was elected and soon became heatedly involved in exposing and investigating what he saw as violations against the public interest.
Mr. Jensen's political career eventually grew into 11 years in the Alaska Territorial and State Legislatures (House of Representatives, 1949-1951 and 1961-1963; Senate, 1953-1957). He unsuccessfully ran for Secretary of State on the Republican ticket in 1966. After 25 years as a professional hunting guide near Chichagof and in southcentral Alaska, he was appointed chairman of the Guide Licensing & Control Board in 1973, and has maintained an active interest in hunting and subsistence issues to the present time.
Mamie Jensen has been active in various community projects and maintained a historic photograph collection.
Extent
3.5 Linear Feet (8 manuscript boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Mamie Jensen's collection of Douglas school memorabilia was transferred to the State Library from the Juneau-Douglas City Museum in 1990 (acc. no. 90-40). Marcus Frederick Jensen (1908-) donated his papers and records to the Alaska State Library in 1992 (acc. no. 92-37). Additional papers were donated by Marcus Jensen on March 8, 1995 (acc. no. 95-17). Mamie Jensen donated one folder on Dec. 5, 1995 (acc. no. 95-61).
Processing Information
Papers are described to the folder level only. Marcus Jensen's original order of correspondence folders was maintained. A few copies of TAKU, GASTINEAU BREEZE and TOTEM duplicated in the Alaska State Library collection were transferred back to the Juneau-Douglas City Museum.
- Title
- Finding aid for the Papers of Marcus F. and Mamie Jensen, 1909-1990
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Processed by: Kathryn Shelton and Marilyn Kwock, February 1993. Updated by: Jacki Swearingen, October 2012
- Date
- 2019 June
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Alaska State Library - Historical Collections Finding Aids Repository
PO Box 110571
Juneau AK 99811-0571 US
907-465-2920
907-465-2925
907-465-2151 (Fax)
asl.historical@alaska.gov