Then Fight For It!

This book is about the largest peaceful redistribution of wealth in the history of mankind and the creation of the North Slope Borough. It is the behind-the-scenes goings-on of a few very determined Native men with the financial assistance of a compassionate law firm to seek justice for the Native people of Alaska. The battle began in 1920 and, although it had a significant victory with the Alaska Land Settlement of 1971, still goes on.

William Lewis and Frances Lackey Paul moved to Alaska with their sons William Lackey and Louis Frederick in 1920. William was a Tlingit Native lawyer and became involved with the fight for rights for his people. Fred and Bill were reared in a period of intense discrimination of Natives from white bureaucrats and carpetbaggers. After Fred finished U/Wash. law school, he returned to Alaska. He was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the Territory. Before he left Alaska in 1945, he wrote the law that became known as the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. He left in order to make a living. His experience in Seattle included being a successful defense attorney, criminal and civil lawyer besides representing various Indian tribes and individual Natives. He became active in Alaskan Native advocacy in 1966 by a letter to his father William from Charles Edwardsen (Etok) asking for help for the Eskimos (Inupiats) to save their land from exploitation by multinational oil companies. Fred fought the Bureau of Indian Affairs and immense financial and political opponents. His work culminated in the Alaska Land Settlement Act of 1971 that won 1 billion dollars and 44 million acres of land and recognition of all Alaska Native people. He gave up his personal life and financial security for his people.

The North Slope Borough was a product of his determination to bring independence to the Eskimo people and freedom from dependency on both the Alaska State government in Juneau and the U.S. Federal Government in Washington DC. He was successful in all his endeavors except for his own financial stability. In the end he was defeated by politics and envy. In his last years, his only income was from Social Security.

He died on 28 April 1994 in the home of his sister.