Mead Treadwell

Last updated

In the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Treadwell left Yukon and went to Cordova, Alaska, to serve as the city's director of spill response. Cordova was badly impacted by the spill, which severely affected the area's fishing industry and disrupted the general ecology of the area. A September 1990 article in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal praised the cleanup efforts, saying that they had come along "quite well". [7] Treadwell expressed optimism about the ecological rebound, cautioning that, while over half of beaches appeared normal and the quantity of commercial fish catches was exceptionally strong, the long-term effects of the spill would not be apparent for "years to come". [7] In a 2006 piece on National Public Radio, Treadwell stated that some harmful effects of the oil spill have persisted. [8]

Treadwell helped establish the Siberia Alaska Gateway Project of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, which worked to open the US-Russia border with the Friendship Flight. He led two expeditions to Wrangel Island in 1990 and led a team of nuclear safety experts to the Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant in Chukotka in 1993. He hosted RADEX, the Arctic nations’ first circumpolar radiation release response exercise in 1994.

In 1990, incumbent one-term governor Steve Cowper decided not to seek re-election. Hickel decided to run as the nominee of the Alaskan Independence Party, and won with a plurality of 39% of the vote. [9] Hickel appointed Treadwell served as Deputy Commissioner of Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation. He served in that position from 1991 to 1994 and continued to help the cleanup of the spill. He wrote new oil spill prevention laws, [10] and helped create the Department's Environmental Justice division. [11] [12] He also represented the state of Alaska on U.S. delegations in three circumpolar government groups: the eight-nation Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the Arctic Council, and the regional Governors’ Northern Forum. He joined Governor Hickel at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. [13]

After Governor Hickel decided not to run for re-election in 1994, Treadwell served as a board member on the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation. [14] He is a member of the Alaska Siberia Research Center board. Treadwell was elected a Fellow National of the Explorers Club in 2002 and chairs the North Pacific Alaska Chapter of the club.

Business ventures

Treadwell has been involved in numerous successful business ventures and is a prominent member of Alaska's business community. Treadwell is on the Board of Venture Ad Astra, which creates "remote sensing and location-based technologies for National Security, Position, Timing, Navigational Infrastructure, and Commercial Markets". [15] Treadwell played a role in the foundation of Digimarc, a digital watermarking technology provider ranked first on Forbes list of fastest growing tech companies in 2004. [13] [16] He has also served as non-executive chairman of Immersive Media Corporation (IMC), a company notable for developing the camera used for Google's Street View and Map Quest's 360 View services. [6] [13]

Arctic Research Commission

Treadwell was appointed to the United States Arctic Research Commission in 2001, and was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as chair in 2006. He has been called to testify before the United States Congress on several occasions. [2] [17] In 2008 and 2009, Treadwell testified to Congress regarding his concerns about anthropogenic global warming, but when running for Lt. Governor in 2010, said he did not believe carbon dioxide emissions were a significant problem. [18] [19] [20] On August 20, 2009, he was called before the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, when it made a field trip to Alaska. During his testimony Treadwell warned that the recently announced moratorium on commercial fishing of the Beaufort Sea would fail if it were not matched by similar moratoriums by Canada and Russia. [2]

During this time, he also served as Senior Fellow of the Institute of the North, founded by Hickel, which was a part of the Alaska Pacific University. He served as the Institute's first full-time Managing Director and Adjunct Professor of Business . Treadwell also did research at the institute. He focused on strategic, defense, management, transportation, and telecommunications of Alaska. He is a co-author of Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century as well as lead author of Why the Arctic Matters, a Commonwealth North 2009 study. [21]

In 2008 Treadwell served as a delegate for Alaska in the 2008 Republican National Convention and served early on as co-chair of Mitt Romney's 2008 Presidential campaign in Alaska. [22]

Lieutenant governor of Alaska

Treadwell in Barrow in July 2012, touring facilities during the U.S. Coast Guard's Arctic Shield exercise. U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Tom Combs, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter pilot assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, gives Alaska Lt. Gov 120723-G-ZP298-002.jpg
Treadwell in Barrow in July 2012, touring facilities during the U.S. Coast Guard's Arctic Shield exercise.

In May 2010, Treadwell announced his intent to run for lieutenant governor of Alaska. He gave his primary reasons for running as frustration with an overbearing federal government, concern for the flagging Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and a need to diversify Alaska's economy through international trade. Treadwell won the August 24, 2010 Republican primary election with approximately 53% of the vote, a margin of more than 22% over his closest opponent, state Representative Jay Ramras. Following his primary campaign victory, Treadwell's campaign joined with that of incumbent Republican Governor Sean Parnell. [23]

In the general election in November 2010, Parnell and Treadwell faced the Democratic ticket of Ethan Berkowitz and Diane E. Benson, as well as slates from the state's other two recognized parties, the Alaskan Independence and Libertarian parties. Parnell and Treadwell defeated their Democratic opponents by a margin of approximately 59 to 38 percent, with the other two candidates receiving the remaining 3 percent. [24] Treadwell was sworn in as the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska on December 6, 2010.

2014 U.S. Senate election

Treadwell announced on December 1, 2012, at a Republican luncheon in Fairbanks, Alaska that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for the United States Senate, seeking the GOP nomination to challenge one-term incumbent Mark Begich. [25]

Treadwell filed for the U.S. Senate primary race on June 18, 2013, and officially held his campaign launch on September 12, 2013. Other candidates for the nomination included Joe Miller and Dan Sullivan. [26]

On August 19, 2014, Sullivan won the primary with 40%, having vastly outspent Miller (32%) and Treadwell (25%) combined. [27]

2018 Alaska gubernatorial Republican primary

Treadwell on the night of the primary Mead Treadwell and Clay (46131921532).jpg
Treadwell on the night of the primary

On June 1, 2018, the last day to file for candidacy Mead announced would run for Governor of Alaska in 2018. He lost the party's nomination to state senator Mike Dunleavy.

Mead Treadwell
Mead Treadwell, Photo 1.jpg
11th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
In office
December 6, 2010 –December 1, 2014
2018 Alaska Gubernatorial Republican Primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Michael J. Dunleavy 39,193 61.79
Republican Mead Treadwell20,23031.89
Republican Michael D. Sheldon1,4082.22
Republican Merica Hlatcu9571.51
Republican Thomas A. Gordon8491.34
Republican Gerald L. Heikes4320.68
Republican Darin A. Colbry3630.57

Personal life

Treadwell and his wife, Carol, had three children, two sons and a daughter. Carol Treadwell died in 2002 of cancer. He is active in the Catholic Church. [28]

Works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fran Ulmer</span> American politician

Frances Ann "Fran" Ulmer is an American administrator and Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. She served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002 under Governor Tony Knowles, becoming the first woman elected to statewide office in Alaska, and lost the 2002 gubernatorial election against Republican Frank Murkowski. In 2007 she became the Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), before serving as Chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission between 2011 and 2020, appointed by President Barack Obama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaskan Independence Party</span> Political party in Alaska

The Alaskan Independence Party (AIP) is an Alaskan nationalist political party in the United States that advocates for an in-state referendum which would include the option of Alaska becoming an independent country. The party also supports gun rights, direct democracy, privatization, abolishing federal land ownership, and limited government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wally Hickel</span> American politician (1919–2010)

Walter Joseph Hickel was an American businessman, real estate developer, and politician who served as the second governor of Alaska from 1966 to 1969 and 1990 to 1994, as well as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1969 to 1970. He worked as a construction worker and eventually became a construction company operator during Alaska's territorial days. Following World War II, Hickel became heavily involved with real estate development, building residential subdivisions, shopping centers and hotels. Hickel entered politics in the 1950s during Alaska's battle for statehood and remained politically active for the rest of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Begich</span> American politician (born 1962)

Mark Peter Begich is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as mayor of Anchorage from 2003 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lieutenant Governor of Alaska</span>

The lieutenant governor of Alaska is the deputy elected official to the governor of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unlike most lieutenant governors in the U.S., the office also maintains the duties of a secretary of state, and indeed was named such until August 25, 1970. Prior to statehood, the territorial-era Secretary of Alaska, who was appointed by the president of the United States like the governor, functioned as an acting governor or successor-in-waiting. Currently, the lieutenant governor accedes to the governorship in case of a vacancy. The lieutenant governor runs together with the governor in both the primary and the general election as a slate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chancy Croft</span> American politician

Leland Chancy Croft was a workers' compensation attorney and Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. Elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1968, he served a single term from 1969 to 1971. He was then elected to the Alaska Senate, serving in that body from 1971 to 1979, including serving as the president of the Senate from 1975 to 1977 during the 9th Alaska State Legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Parnell</span> American politician (born 1962)

Sean Randall Parnell is an American attorney and politician who was the tenth governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014. He succeeded Sarah Palin in July 2009, and was elected governor in his own right in 2010 with 59.06% of the vote, as the largest percentage margin of any Alaska governor since the state's admission into the United States. In 2014, he narrowly lost his bid for re-election and returned to work in the private sector. He is a member of the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Alaska gubernatorial election</span>

The 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Former Governor Sarah Palin did not run, having resigned in July 2009. Incumbent Governor Sean Parnell, who as lieutenant governor succeeded Palin following her resignation, announced that he would seek a full term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Campbell (politician)</span> American politician and businessman

Craig Eaton Campbell is an American politician and businessman who served as the president and CEO of the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC). He joined the corporation as chief operating officer in February 2011, and was appointed president and CEO by the board of directors in October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Sullivan (Anchorage mayor)</span> American politician

Daniel Albert Sullivan is an American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Anchorage from 2009 to 2015 and on the Anchorage Assembly from 1999 to 2008. The son of Anchorage's longest-serving mayor, George M. Sullivan, he was the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Alaska in the 2014 election but he and incumbent Governor Sean Parnell were defeated by the ticket of Independent Bill Walker and Democrat Byron Mallott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Poe</span>

Bob Poe is an American businessman and former cabinet member who ran for Governor of Alaska in the 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election. Poe announced his candidacy in January 2009 and was the first Democrat to announce his intention to run for governor. He has worked with various administrations in Alaska under former Governors Bill Sheffield, Steve Cowper, Tony Knowles, and Wally Hickel. On June 14, 2010 he announced that he was withdrawing from the gubernatorial race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arliss Sturgulewski</span> American politician (1927–2022)

Jane Arliss Sturgulewski was an American businesswoman and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. In a political career in which she started appearing in the spotlight in 1975, she represented Anchorage in the Alaska Senate from 1979 to 1993. Twice during off-years in re-election to her four-year Senate term, she won the Republican nomination for governor of Alaska against mostly conservative opposition in blanket primaries. The second time, in 1990, she came out in third place behind Walter Hickel and runner up Tony Knowles, which was the second of three times in Alaska's history a major-party nominee placed third. She won a 2000 Anchorage Athena award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate election in Alaska</span>

The 2014 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, concurrently with the election of the governor of Alaska, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Alaska gubernatorial election</span>

The 2014 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska, concurrently with the election of Alaska's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Jerry Ward is an American politician and businessman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Walker (American politician)</span> American attorney and politician (born 1951)

William Martin Walker is an American attorney and politician who served as the 11th governor of Alaska, from 2014 to 2018. He was the second Alaska-born governor, after William A. Egan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska</span>

The 2016 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the U.S. representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district, who will represent the state of Alaska in the 114th United States Congress. The election coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections in the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Alaska gubernatorial election</span>

The 2018 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska. In the primaries for recognized political parties, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately. The winners of each respective primary for governor and lieutenant governor then become a joint ticket in the general election for their political party. Incumbent Independent governor Bill Walker was seeking re-election in what was originally a three-way race between Walker, Republican former Alaska state senator Mike Dunleavy, and Democratic former Alaska U.S. Senator Mark Begich. Despite Walker dropping out on October 19, 2018, and endorsing Begich, Dunleavy won in what was the only gubernatorial gain by a Republican candidate in 2018. As of 2024, this was the last time the Governor's office in Alaska changed partisan control. Walker later unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Alaska in 2022.

Edgar Blatchford is an American politician, academic, and attorney, and perennial candidate who served as the mayor of Seward, Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska</span> U.S. House election in Alaska

The November 2022 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska was held on Tuesday, November 8, to elect a member of the United States House of Representatives to represent the state of Alaska. Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola won reelection to a full term in office, defeating Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III and Libertarian Chris Bye in the runoff count.

References

  1. ↑ Treadwell, Mead (June 24, 2008). "s America Prepared For An Accessible Arctic?". United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation . Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  2. 1 2 3 Mead Treadwell (August 20, 2009). "U.S. strategic interests in the age of an accessible Arctic … what we need to know and do now" (PDF). United States Senate. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-27.
  3. ↑ O'Malley, Julia (December 14, 2012). "Lt. Gov. Treadwell stunned by killings at his childhood school". Anchorage Daily News. Anchorage. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  4. ↑ Balingit, Moriah (December 16, 2012). "Alaska's Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, native of Newtown: Better mental health system needed". post-gazette.com. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  5. ↑ "PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN THE ARCTIC Mead Treadwell, Lieutenant Governor, State of Alaska". thechicagocouncil.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  6. 1 2 3 "Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell Governor". The American Polar Society. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  7. 1 2 "Restoration at Valdez". Spartanburg Herald-Journal . Spartanburg. September 13, 1990. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  8. ↑ "Valdez: The Damage Persists, 17 Years Later". npr.org. April 15, 2006. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  9. ↑ "AK Governor - Nov 06, 1990". Our Campaigns.
  10. ↑ Postman, David (February 2, 1991). "DEC chief disavows regulation preview". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  11. ↑ Alyson Pytte (October 27, 1991). "Stringent Spill Cleanup Rules Unveiled". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  12. ↑ Joshua Saul (May 7, 2010). "Mead Treadwell to run for lieutenant governor". Alaska Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  13. 1 2 3 "Mr. Mead Treadwell". COMMISSIONERS > Former. US Arctic Research Commission. Archived from the original on 2013-02-14. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  14. ↑ "Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell". The Aerospace States Association. Archived from the original on 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  15. ↑ "About Venture Ad Astra". Archived from the original on 2013-05-07.
  16. ↑ Yen, Jody (January 30, 2004). "The 25 Fastest-Growing Technology Companies". Forbes.
  17. ↑ Mead Treadwell (September 26, 2006). "Testimony by Mead Treadwell, Chair U.S. Arctic Research Commission" (PDF). U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Committee on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
  18. ↑ Lisa Demer (June 21, 2014). "Candidate Profile: Treadwell's underdog run for U.S. Senate draws on 40 years of Alaska work". Anchorage Daily News . Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  19. ↑ Mead Treadwell (March 25, 2009). "Climate Change and the Arctic: New Frontiers of National Security" (PDF). House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  20. ↑ Mead Treadwell (June 24, 2009). "Testimony by Mead Treadwell, Chair U.S. Arctic Research Commission: "Is America Prepared For An Accessible Arctic?"" (PDF). Senate Commerce Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  21. ↑ "Official biography: Mead Treadwell". U.S. Arctic Research Commission. Archived from the original on 2009-08-12.
  22. ↑ Jeremy Hsieh (May 7, 2010). "Treadwell to run for lieutenant governor". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 2013-05-17. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  23. ↑ "State of Alaska 2010 Primary Election: August 24, 2010 Official Results".
  24. ↑ Kristin Spack (November 3, 2010). "Election Night 2010: Incumbents Parnell and Young Re-Elected, Possibly Murkowski". Alaska Public Media .
  25. ↑ Kyle Trygstad (December 3, 2012). "Alaska: Treadwell One Step Closer to Senate Bid". Roll Call . Archived from the original on 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  26. ↑ Becky Bohrer (September 12, 2012). "Sullivan resigning as natural resources commissioner amid talk of US Senate bid". Anchorage Daily News . Archived from the original on 2013-09-14.
  27. ↑ Dermot Cole; Nathaniel Herz (August 20, 2014). "Sullivan declares victory in high-stakes GOP Senate primary". Alaska Dispatch News . Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  28. ↑ "Meet Mead Treadwell". www.treadwellalaska.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2011-01-24. Mead Treadwell official campaign biography.
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
2010–2014		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for
Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
2010 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.