The Alaska daily empire., 1923-02-27
FORMER SENATOR
 GEORGE PERKINS
 D|ES; LONG ILL
Served 22 Years Tn United
 States Senate TT Started l
 as Just a Ship Boy,
tconhnueo Prom rage one,

become d sailor "before the mast" his first voyage being on sailing vessel to New Orleans. Thereafter, for number6f years. he followed every port of the worl1 Touching, finally. in 1885. at San Francisco. he caught the gold fever and turned prospeetor' and miner. He was the first to introduce steam whalers in the Arctic Ocean, and operated na- merous ships on the Pacific from Al aska to Mexico.
 Country Merchant
 JAS a country merchant in Cali fornia. Perkins became interested in politics and was elected to the state Senate in 1869 and to the Governor ship 10 years later. In 1893 he Was appointed United States Senator to fill the unexpired term of the late Leland Stanford. the appointment be- ing confirmed later by the legisla- ture. Subsequently he was reelected to three full terms.
 i Mr. Perkins long experience in sea faring gave him recognition as an authority in the Senate on the many Measures relating to maritime af- fairs and the naval establishment. He was constantly consulted on these subjects. and whenever a question arose on the floor of the Senate re- garding some technical point in snip ping, by mutual consent it was usual ly referred to the authoritative judg- ment of the California Senator. who was always supplisd with the fullest technical details on such subjects. This led to his rapid promotion to positions of linflnence on the Senate committees on Naval Affairs, Com merce and Appropriation. During the four years preceding the Democratic control of the Senate Mr. Perkins Was chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee and as such became a controlling influence in shaping naval 1 legislation.
 l Attention to Maritime
 The Senator gave special attention I to improving maritime equipment along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts and his personal familiarity with the . chief water routes led him to secure , m exceptional number of lighthouses ] and warnings for sailors, studded l. from end to eni of the coasts The regularity of Mir. Perkins at tendance in the Senate was almos 1. remarkable. for the record of his ?; : years of service shows that he missed but ,few roll calls.
 While he never, as a distinguished person, was presented at any Euro pean court, Senator Perkins neverthe less, once stood before royalty. Il happened in this manner:
 Entertained By King
 AS a young sailor his ship, on ono voyage, carried him to Christiania Norway, where he was granted shore lleave in company with another boy of his own age. The American boys strolled outside the grounds of the royal palace, but were refused admis sion at all of the gates. Finally, dis covering a disused tunnel. leading under the moat, they crawled through and continued their walk through the grounds. Soon d great shout was raised, soldiers appeared and the frightened American boys were bounced upon as spies.
 The commotion reaching the ears of King Oscar, he ordered that ths culprits be brought before him. Then for the first time. the boys were ad dressed in their own tongue, the King asking them in English why they were intruding. Perkins, whc