Edward Lewis "Bob" Bartlett was an unlikely hero. Yet Bartlett became Alaska’s face in Washington, serving for fourteen years as the state’s Territorial Delegate to Congress and another eight as senior Senator for the state of Alaska, until his death in 1968.

His years in the U.S. Congress between 1945 and 1968 left a legacy matched by few. Bob Bartlett authored or co-authored more than 900 bills with a remarkably high rate of passage, a record of legislative success that alone qualifies him for honor. But Bartlett’s more exclusive distinction is one few members of Congress can claim—his greatest success was the very creation of the State he represented.

His frontier childhood, modest education, coke-bottle glasses and awkward speech, hardly foretold a career as politician and statesman. But Bob Bartlett’s sincerity, faithful service and personal relationships piloted him to a level of influence few have achieved before or since. Bartlett’s story is an American story—a personalized account of the democratic process, individual accomplishment and freedom. It’s a story comparable to Hollywood’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but Bartlett’s has a focus even Hollywood might find too implausible: the creation of a state and placement of a 49th star on the American flag.

Mr. Alaska: Bob Bartlett Goes to Washington is the story of a statesman and senator, E.L. "Bob" Bartlett.