Abraham Spring
Values Codes I – E – L
Abraham Spring (1855-1933) was born in Austria/Poland in 1855 and came to the U.S. in the 1880s, first settling in California and then heading north to Seattle.
Alaska
In 1895, Spring left Seattle for Alaska and settled in Fairbanks.
He was naturalized as an American citizen in 1902 and within months was sworn in as an attorney.
In 1903, Fairbanks held its first elections and Spring was chosen to serve on the city council, becoming the first Jewish officeholder in the territory.
In the years from 1905 to 1909, the Fairbanks city council elected Spring to serve as mayor.
Everyday View from Downtown Anchorage, Vintage Postcard.
Source
- Mark Rutzik, Breaking New Ground: The Untold Story of Early America’s Jewish Electoral Pioneers – 1788 to 1920, 2025.
Mark Rutzick is the curator of this Abraham Spring exhibit.