State Guide: Chambers of Commerce. As a small business owner in the U.S., it is important to be familiar with your state's chamber of commerce. A chamber of commerce is a local organization of businesses designed to help protect and promote business interests. Some say they are essential to the economic growth of a community. However, if you own a small business, your membership in a chamber of commerce is not mandatory.
Washington became the forty-second state of the United States of America on November 11, 1889. After a hiatus of thirteen years when no new states were admitted to the Union, the United States Congress passed an act enabling the territories of Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana to seek statehood.
Alaska admitted into Union. On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower signs a special proclamation admitting the territory of Alaska into the Union as the 49th and largest state. The European discovery of Alaska came in 1741, when a Russian expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering sighted the Alaskan mainland.