Ernest Gruening

Ernest Gruening
Gruening in 1935
United States Senator
from Alaska
In office
January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1969
Preceded byHimself (Shadow Senator)
Succeeded byMike Gravel
United States Shadow Senator
from the Alaska Territory
In office
October 6, 1956 – January 3, 1959
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byHimself (U.S. Senator)
7th Governor of Alaska Territory
In office
December 6, 1939 – April 10, 1953
LieutenantBob Bartlett
Preceded byJohn Troy
Succeeded byFrank Heintzleman
Personal details
Born
Ernest Henry Gruening

(1887-02-06)February 6, 1887
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 26, 1974(1974-06-26) (aged 87)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDorothy Smith
Children3
EducationHarvard University (BS, MD)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1917–1918
UnitField Artillery Corps
Battles/warsWorld War I

Ernest Henry Gruening (/ˈɡrnɪŋ/ GREEN-ing; February 6, 1887 – June 26, 1974) was an American journalist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Gruening was the governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and a United States Senator from Alaska from 1959 until 1969.

Born in New York City, Gruening pursued a career in journalism after graduating from Harvard Medical School. After working for various newspapers in New York and Boston, he served in various roles during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was appointed as Governor of Alaska in 1939 and became a prominent advocate of Alaska statehood.

Gruening became one of Alaska's inaugural pair of senators, along with Bob Bartlett, after Alaska gained statehood in 1959. Gruening was a prominent opponent of the Vietnam War, and with Oregon's Wayne Morse, was one of just two senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which allowed the bombing of North Vietnam. In 1968, Mike Gravel defeated Gruening in the Democratic Senate primary, and Gruening's attempt to win re-election as an independent was unsuccessful.