Historian and reenactor John Venebles has died, the Juneau Empire reports. He was 75.
Venables often played Judge James Wickersham. Wickersham was a delegate to Congress who was a key advocate for legislation that gave Alaska territorial status in 1912. Venables, in character as Wickersham in 2013, described a colorful bump in Wickersham’s political career:
“Actually, in 1916, I lost the election due to shenanigans,” he said. “And it took about a year before they threw the election out and I got restored to my position. But they actually had in one district a lot of votes for my opponent, and the number of votes filed in that district elected the number of registered voters in the district! So that tells you right then and there, there’s a bunch of shenanigans.”
William Venables described his father’s passion for history for the Empire:
“There’s a spark in certain people and they love to pass on the knowledge they’ve been able to acquire.”
Another role he often played was Secretary of State William Seward. Seward was instrumental in the United States’ purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. One of Venables last public projects he was involved in was the push to recognize Seward with a bronze statute outside the Dimond Courthouse.
The statue is expected to be complete in 2017.
Watch John Venables as Judge James Wickersham in 2013:
Watch John Venables as William Seward, James Wickersham and Bob Bartlett:
