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Hannah Paul Solomon

1908 – 2011

American activist

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About Hannah Paul Solomon

Lived 1908 – 2011 (aged 102).

Hannah Paul Solomon (; October 10, 1908 – September 16, 2011) was an American community leader and artist. She was the first female mayor of Fort Yukon, Alaska, helped organize the Fairbanks Native Association, and was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2012. Her traditional beadwork is in the collections of several museums.

Early life She was born in Rampart, a village on the Porcupine River, near the Canadian-Alaskan border. Her first language was Gwich'in. She was adopted by older Athabascan parents, Mardow and Eliza Mardow. She attended a one-room school run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Fort Yukon.

Career Solomon helped to organize the Fairbanks Native Association and the Fairbanks Native Community Center, along with her longtime friend Poldine Carlo and others. She served on the board of directors of the Gwichyaa Zhee Corporation. She was active in other organizations, including Doyon Limited, Tanana Chiefs Conference and the Alaska Federation of Natives. She served in the first city council of Fort Yukon in 1960, and was the first woman to be elected mayor of the city. In 1991 she gave an oral history interview to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Rasmuson Library's Oral History Collection. She was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2012. "When I was young we had nothing to do when we got home from school so I learned to sew," she explained in 1965. In 1967, she demonstrated beadwork as part of the "Native Village" exhibit at the Alaska 67 Centennial Exposition. Beadwork items made by Solomon are in the collections of the Rasmuson Museum in Anchorage and the Alaska Native Medical Center, among other institutions. A video about Solomon's art was shown at the Sheldon Jackson Museum in 1988 and 1990.

Personal life and legacy Mardow married Paul Solomon, a trapper and carpenter, in 1927. They had 14 children together, including activist Jonathon Solomon. She died in 2011, aged 102, at her home in Fairbanks. There is a Hannah Paul Solomon "Woman of Courage" Award given annually by the Fairbanks Native Association.

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Important facts

Birth century
Awards
Alaska Women's Hall of Fame

Family & relationships

Child
Jonathon Solomon

People in Hannah Paul Solomon's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Hannah Paul Solomon's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Hannah Paul Solomon?

American activist

When was Hannah Paul Solomon born?

Hannah Paul Solomon was born on 10 October 1908 in Fort Yukon, Alaska.

When did Hannah Paul Solomon die?

Hannah Paul Solomon died on 16 September 2011 in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Hannah Paul Solomon

· Wikidata: Q108097094

· DBpedia: Hannah Paul Solomon

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Hannah Paul Solomon. https://biography.guide/hannah-paul-solomon/

MLA: "Hannah Paul Solomon." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/hannah-paul-solomon/.

Chicago: "Hannah Paul Solomon." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/hannah-paul-solomon/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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