At the time President Eisenhower took office in 1953 there were only 48
states in the Union. Although he had endorsed the admission of both
the Alaskan and Hawaiian territories during the 1952 campaign, once he
became President he had to wait several years before these endorsements
became policy. The problem came when Eisenhower presented to the
Eighty-third Congress his recommendation for the immediate approval
of only Hawaii's statehood, while delaying Alaska's pending further
arrangements for the administration of defense installations. Interior
Department officials, some of whom were eager to open Alaska's
reserves of land and resources to private development, adamantly
supported the presidents reservations in order to prolong federal
jurisdiction over the territory. However, in Congress, statehood for
Hawaii encountered subtle but persistent opposition from southern
legislators because of the territory's substantial nonwhite population.
Because of his concern about defense facilities, Eisenhower threatened
to veto compromise legislation for simultaneous admission of both
territories. As a result of the deadlock, Alaska and Hawaii did not enter
the Union until 1959 when Eisenhower finally dropped his objections
that arose from his concern about maintaining federal control of defense
installations on Alaskan soil. The final bill that he sent to Congress
simply reserved large sections of Alaskan territory for military purposes.
The discovery of oil on the Kenai Peninsula also persuaded some
members of Congress that those resources would be developed more
rapidly under state control. With bipartisan support, Congress passed
the necessary legislation in mid-1958. Admission of Alaska, the fortyninth
state on January 3, 1959 helped create sufficient pressure for the
approval of Hawaiian statehood several months later.
