Obituary - Marcus F. Jensen

Wednesday, February 7, 2001
THE JUNEAU EMPIRE

Longtime Alaskan and former territorial and state legislator Marcus F. Jensen of Juneau died Feb. 6 at his home on Fritz Cove Rd. A full obituary will follow.

Thursday, February 8, 2001
THE JUNEAU EMPIRE
Marcus Jensen

Former territorial and state legislator Marcus F. Jensen, 92, died Feb. 6, 2001, at his home in Juneau, following the death of his wife Mamie Jan. 19.

He was born Aug. 8, 1908, in Westhope, N.D., the eldest son of Fred Jensen and Neva Stephens. He grew up in Minneapolis with his parents, five sisters and brother. Interested in Alaska due to his grandfather's and uncles success in the Nome gold rush at the turn of the century, he came to Juneau in 1929. He worked briefly in the Alaska-Juneau mine and then became a surveyor for the Public Roads Administration, obtaining a two-year degree in civil engineering at Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis.

In 1933, he met and married Mamie Feusi. The couple settled in Douglas in 1934, and their son John was born in 1935. An accomplished athlete from his high school years, Jensen became a pitcher and "champion bat man" in the Gastineau Channel Baseball League. He was on the Southeast Alaska All-Star basketball team and was scoutmaster for the Douglas troop.

Jensen joined his father-in-law John Feusi in running the family hardware and general store, which became Feusi and Jensen Grocery in downtown Douglas at the location of the present library. He was active in community affairs, serving as fire chief in 1938; on the Douglas City Council in 1935, 1937, 1951-55; and as mayor 1945-47 and 1961-64. He was elected to the territorial House of Representatives in 1949 and served until 1951; then served in the Senate from 1953 to 1957; and the state House from 1961 to 1963.

"As a politician, he was ruthless in exposing what he believed were violations of the public trust," wrote Mary Lou Gerbi, in the Alaska Southeaster magazine, in September 2000. In 1966 he ran for secretary of state (later, lieutenant governor) losing by 600 votes to Keith Miller who became governor upon Walter Hickel's resignation. For many legislative sessions he was a lobbyist for Alaska contractors, loggers and bankers.

In the late 1940s he became a big game guide and continued guiding into his 70s. In 1973 he was appointed by Gov. Jay Hammond as the first chairman of the new Guide Licensing and Control Board, which shaped the development of the guiding industry in Alaska.

His family noted his love of Alaska and enthusiasm for the opportunities it offered. His interest in sharing that with young people continued to the end of his life. In 1998 he published his life story "One Thing After Another: Adventures in Alaska." He served as president of the Douglas Canning Co. and was a member of the Masons, Moose, Elks, Sons of the American Revolution, Pioneers of Alaska, Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Professional Hunters Association.

He is survived by his son John Jensen, grandchildren Aleria Jensen and Solan Jensen, all of Juneau; sisters Florence Johnson of Anchorage, Katherine Myland of Cameron Park, Calif., and Marian Towle of Ketchikan, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Alaskan Memorial Park, 3839 Riverside Drive, following PEO services and visitation for his wife Mamie, which begin at 6:30 p.m. Funeral services for Mamie will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul's Catholic Church, with a reception at the parish hall, and for Marcus at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Douglas Community Methodist Church, with a reception at Mike's Place. Interment of ashes for both will be at the St. Therese Columbarium at a later time.

In lieu of flowers for Marcus, donations are invited to be made to "PEO-Chapter G" for "The Mamie Jensen Memorial Scholarship Fund." Send to Karla Donaghey, president, P.O. Box 34513, Juneau, AK 99803.

Thursday, February 8, 2001
THE JUNEAU EMPIRE
Jensens were witnesses, shapers of Alaska history
By Riley Woodford

Mamie Jensen watched Douglas spring up on the banks of Gastineau Channel, and Marcus Jensen saw it burn to the ground. Together, they helped rebuild the town, and build the state of Alaska as well.

Marcus Jensen died Tuesday night at his home on Fritz Cove Road, less than three weeks after the death of his wife. Married more than 67 years and both well into their 90s, the couple witnessed almost a century of Alaska history.

As a territorial and state lawmaker, lobbyist, political activist and Douglas mayor, Marcus Jensen helped shape the future of his community and state.

Mamie Jensen was born in Douglas in 1906. Her father owned a general store that sold Native art and curios to early Alaska tourists. She said in a 1995 interview that she grew up in a community that was part the company town of Treadwell, part Douglas and part Native village.

Marcus Jensen grew up in Minnesota, fascinated by the stories his uncles and grandfather told of their success in the Nome Gold Rush at the turn of the century. He came to Juneau in 1929 and worked seasonally at the Alaska Juneau gold mine and as a surveyor. He met Mamie at a dance in Douglas, they married in 1933, and he went into business with Mamie's father.

Jensen was a volunteer firefighter on a bitterly cold night in 1937 when 70-mph winds fanned a blaze that leveled Douglas. More than 50 buildings, including the family store, were engulfed. In a 1995 interview, Jensen talked about rebuilding Douglas just months after the fire.

"Myself and six others went to the bank and each got a $1,000 loan for materials. We started then to rebuild the (community) hall, and the whole community pitched in," he said. "Juneau folks came over and pitched in a lot on that. It was family. We finished the hall, and never spent a dime on labor."

Retired Judge Tom Stewart said the Jensens had tremendous enthusiasm for the Douglas community. He said Mamie was a wealth of community history.

Recognizing that, in 1978 Perseverance Theatre cast her in the theater's first production, "Pure Gold," a show based on local history. The Jensens' son, John, said Mamie helped found the Douglas Public Library, which started as a shelf of books in the old Fire Hall. John said in the 1950s she was named Mother of the Year, in part because of her work with the fledgling library.

Marcus Jensen served as the mayor of Douglas in the 1940s and again in the 1960s, and in the state and territorial legislature throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. During his political career he crossed paths many times with former Alaska Gov. Walter Hickel, and the two ran for public office in 1966. Hickel won the governor's office and Jensen lost the seat of secretary of state (now lieutenant governor) by only 600 votes.

"Politics is hard work and it can be a lot of fun. Marc Jensen made it fun. He cared about what the people cared about and never let any of the rest of us forget it," said Hickel this morning through his secretary.

Jensen was politically active, but his first love was the Alaska wilderness. For 40 years he earned his living as a guide and took hunters up rivers, across tundra and through Alaska forests until he was in his 70s. He continued hunting well into his 80s.

In 1973 he was appointed by Gov. Jay Hammond as the first chairman of the new Guide Licensing and Control Board, which shaped the development of the guiding industry in Alaska.

John Jensen said in the 1960s, his father built a house on Fritz Cove Road with his nephew, Tom Jensen. Marcus and Mamie spent summers there for several years, renting it out during the school year to teachers. They eventually moved to Fritz Cove Road full time, surrounded by the art, artifacts and memorabilia of a shared lifetime.