Prominent figures of the Oireachtas who hail from regions far off from Leinster House might just spare a moment to consider the trying journey of one Thomas Gaffney. Born in Ireland, Gaffney went on to be a member of the inaugural Alaskan territorial government, a role which entailed a commute that was anything but convenient.
Gaffney saw the light of day in Bellananagh, County Cavan in 1864 and eventually immigrated to the United States. No sooner had he settled, he got wind of the Klondike Gold Rush and decided to try his luck in Yukon, Canada. Things didn’t pan out well for him in Yukon, leading him to shift his prospects to Alaska.
Just like many other gold-pursuing adventurers, the tales of gold-diggers plucking nuggets right from the beach by Nome had him hooked. Situated on the Seward Peninsula, Nome along with Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula, presents a scenic view of the Bering Strait.
However, by 1909, the Nome Gold Rush had almost breathed its last, although the region is still a hub for gold mining. True to his adventurous spirit, Gaffney decided to continue living there, eventually becoming a special officer in charge of controlling the consumption of alcohol among the native Indian population. He also served as a game warden, earning enough respect to be elected as one of Nome’s representatives in the first Alaskan territorial legislature. This body first convened in Juneau, the present state capital, in 1913.
On the 7th of January that year, in the midst of a raging blizzard, Gaffney and three legislative colleagues embarked on a journey spanning thousands of kilometres under freezing temperatures. Their journey began with a sled ride pulled by huskies across the frozen landscape due to ice blocking naval routes. They eventually boarded a steamship at Valdez, roughly a thousand kilometres away, to make their way to Juneau.
It took nearly two months for Gaffney and his peers to reach their legislative assembly which didn’t convene until the 3rd of March. As for their travel reimbursements, they received $15 per diem during the assembly sessions and 15 cents per mile covered. Given the harsh travelling conditions, this amount was reasonably fair.
Among the 24 male legislators who set up the first legislature, Gaffney was the sole Irish-born migrant. However, others with recent Irish heritage abounded, including Boyle, Collins, Driscoll, Kelly, and Kennedy. While the national Congress imposed certain restrictions on the Alaskan assembly, the members were still successful in passing impactful laws. Their initial act was to bestow voting rights to women while also implementing laws related to compulsory education for eight-to-16-year olds and mining safety measures.
Tom Gaffney, hailing from Nome, was a familiar figure, even being featured in a children’s book, “Baldy of Nome”. This book narrates the story of one of the most celebrated residents of the town, a sled dog called Baldy. Baldy helped local dog breeder and musher Scotty Allan attain victory thrice in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes, laying the groundwork for the annual Iditarod dog sled race. Later, Allan, a Dundee native, trained and provided sled dogs to the French army during World War I, specifically for their service in the Vosges.
Allan’s business partner, Esther Birdsall Darling, who co-owned a dog sled kennel in Nome, wrote “Baldy of Nome”. This was part of a series about Alaskan frontier dogs, which proved successful after Jack London’s stories. There’s a scene in the book where a character recalls Gaffney reciting Robert Emmet’s farewell speech on St Patrick’s Day in the town hall, eliciting deep emotions in the listeners.
This scene from the book mirrors reality. In real life, Gaffney and other Irish migrants residing in Nome were part of the fraternal group, the Knights of Robert Emmet. They regularly commemorated Emmet’s life at the Eagle Hall in Nome, with the highlight being a recitation of Emmet’s Speech from the Dock. After the 1912 commemoration, the Nome Nugget, a local newspaper, recounted that Gaffney had eloquently spoken about the Irish patriot for 20 minutes, demonstrating significant oratory skills.
In 1933, Gaffney, who had consistently proven his loyalty to the Democratic Party, was recognised by the newly inaugurated President Roosevelt. He was appointed as a US marshal, a role for which his familiarity with the Alaskan wilderness became invaluable, particularly when pursuing federal lawbreakers across the challenging terrain of the territory. However, in 1937, while escorting a group of convicts to Seattle, Gaffney became severely sick from diabetes and sadly passed away in the city on December 8th. His final journey was a lengthy one; with winter ice blocking the way, his remains weren’t able to be taken back to Nome until it broke and thawed the next spring.