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William Allen Egan was an American Democratic politician. He served as the first governor of the State of Alaska from January 3, 1959, to 1966 and 1970 to 1974, as well as a shadow U.S. Senator from Alaska Territory from 1956 to 1959. Born in Valdez, Alaska, Egan is one of only two governors in the state's history to have been born in Alaska. He was the Democratic nominee in the first five gubernatorial elections.
Keith Harvey Miller was an American Republican politician from Alaska. Miller was the second secretary of state of Alaska under Walter Hickel. He became the third governor of Alaska after Hickel’s resignation to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Under his tenure, Alaska came into sudden wealth after an oil lease sale on the North Slope created a revenue of $900 million.
Terrence Brent Miller was an American businessman and politician. Miller served as the fourth lieutenant governor of Alaska from 1978 to 1982. His political career, which began while he was in his early 20s, lasted over two decades and was cut short by his death from lung cancer at age 46.
Although in its early years of statehood, Alaska was a Democratic state, since the early 1970s it has been characterized as Republican-leaning. Local political communities have often worked on issues related to land use development, fishing, tourism, and individual rights. Alaska Natives, while organized in and around their communities, have been active within the Native corporations. These have been given ownership over large tracts of land, which require stewardship. The state has an independence movement favoring a vote on secession from the United States, with the Alaskan Independence Party, but its membership has shrunk in recent decades.
Bettye Jean Davis was an American social worker and politician. She was the first African-American to be elected as an Alaska State Senator in 2000.
Sharon Marie Cissna is an American politician and former Democratic member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the 22nd District from 1999 to 2013.
The following table indicates the parties of elected officials in the U.S. state of Alaska:
Thelma Garcia Buchholdt was a Filipino American community activist, politician, historian, public speaker, cultural worker, and author. She was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives for four consecutive terms, from 1974 through 1982. She was the author of the book Filipinos in Alaska: 1788-1958, which is now in its third printing and is available through the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center.
Mia C. Costello is a Republican politician from Alaska. She was member of the Alaska Senate from District K. She previously served from 2011 to 2015 in the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the 20th District.
Carl Eugene Moses was an American businessman from Unalaska, Alaska who served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973 as both a Republican and Democrat, and was elected again to the House in 1992 running on the Alaskan Independence Party ticket, later switched back to the Democrats, and served until 2007. Moses served a total of eleven full terms in the Alaska House, making him the longest-serving member in the history of that body. In the 2006 primary election, Moses was defeated for renomination by Bryce Edgmon, losing via a coin toss after the election results wound up in court and were later certified by the state of Alaska as ending in a tie vote.
Catherine Andrea Giessel is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she has served as Majority Leader of the Alaska Senate since 2023. From 2013 to 2021, Giessel represented District N in the Alaska Senate, including Northeast Anchorage, Anchorage Hillside and the Turnagain Arm communities of Bird, Girdwood, Indian, and Anchorage, all within the Municipality of Anchorage. First elected in 2010 while identifying with Tea Party values, she has also served as the vice-chair of the state Republican Party and had a career in nursing. Following redistricting, she was elected to a different senate seat in 2012. Giessel serves as chair of the Resources Committee and is a member of the Senate Majority Caucus. After Senate President Pete Kelly was unseated in 2018, Giessel was elected president of the Alaska Senate, a post she held until 2021. Giessel returned to the Alaska Senate in 2023, representing the newly configured District E after defeating incumbent Republican Roger Holland. She serves as Senate majority leader in the 33rd Legislature, overseeing a coalition caucus of eight Republicans and nine Democrats.
Randell Ernest "Randy" Phillips is a retired politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. Phillips served for twenty-six years as a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska Senate, from 1977 to 2003.
Irene Esther Ryan was an American geologist, aviator, and legislator during Alaska's history as both a United States territory and as a U.S. state. She was a member of the Alaska Territorial House of Representatives and of the Alaska State Senate. She was instrumental in the creation of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which helped insure state revenue from oil and gas exploration done by outside entities.
Lora H. Reinbold is an American politician who was a member of the Alaska Senate. She was a member of the Alaska House from 2013 to 2019, representing District 26. In 2018, Reinbold was elected to the Alaska State Senate representing the G district. She served in the State Senate from 2019 until retiring in 2023. From 2015 to the end of her tenure, Reinbold was the only member of the Alaska State Legislature unaffiliated with a caucus organization, as she was ejected from the Republican-led majority caucus in March 2015.
Edith Rose Bullock was an American businesswoman and politician active in Alaska during its territorial and early statehood eras. She was named "Alaskan of the Year" in 1979, making her the first woman to be given the title. Bullock was also the first woman to be named to the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. In 2009, she was named to the inaugural induction class of the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame.
Ivy Spohnholz is a Democratic member of the Alaska House of Representatives, serving the 16th district. She has served since March 10, 2016, after being appointed by Governor Bill Walker to fill the vacancy caused by the death of longtime Representative Max Gruenberg on February 14, 2016. She was elected to a full term on November 8, 2016, with 51.52% of the vote, a 10-point margin over Republican Don Hadley. She was reelected to State House for a second time in 2018 with 55.1% of the vote, an 11-point margin over Republican Stanley Wright.
Olga Katherine Torkelsen Hurley was the secretary to Alaska Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening from 1944 until his departure from office in 1953. She was Chief Clerk to the Alaska Constitutional Convention from 1955 to 1956 and the secretary to the State Senate for five terms. In 1984, she was elected to seat 16-A in the Alaska House, serving until January 1987.
The 2020 Alaska Senate elections took place as part of the biennial 2020 United States elections. Voters in Alaska elected state senators in 11 of the state's 20 senate districts – the usual ten plus one special election. State senators serve four-year terms in the Alaska Senate, with half seats up for election every two years. Primary elections on August 18, 2020, determined which candidates appeared on the general election ballot on November 3, 2020.
Blanche Louise Preston McSmith was an African-American civil rights activist, businesswoman and politician.
References
- 1 2 DeArmond, Robert N. "This Month in Alaska History". Discover Alaska. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Historical Society. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nightingale, Suzan (4 July 1985). "A holiday talk with Alaska's first woman territorial legislator". Anchorage Daily News. Anchorage, Alaska. pp. C13. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Atwood, Evangeline; DeArmond, Robert N. (1977). Who's Who in Alaskan Politics. Portland, Oregon: Binford & Mort for the Alaska Historical Commission. p. 89.
- 1 2 3 4 Alaska Legislature Roster of Members 1913-2008. Juneau: Alaska Legislative Affairs Agency. 2008. p. 17.