List of Governors of Alaska
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Governor of Alaska |
|
 Official seal |
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| Term length | Four years |
|---|---|
| Inaugural holder | William A. Egan |
| Formation | January 3, 1959 |
| Website | gov.state.ak.us/ |
The Governor of Alaska is the head of the executive branch of Alaska's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Alaska Legislature,[1] to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of impeachment.[2]
The state constitution provides for the election of a governor and lieutenant governor every four years on the same ticket, with their terms commencing on the first Monday in the December following the election.[3] Governors are allowed to succeed themselves once, having to wait four years after their second term in a row before being allowed to run again.[4] Should the office of governor become vacant, the lieutenant governor assumes the title of governor.[5] The original constitution of 1956 created the office of secretary of state, which was functionally identical to a lieutenant governor, and was renamed to "lieutenant governor" in 1970.[6]
The state has had 9 governors, serving 11 distinct terms, though it had over thirty civilian and military governors during its long history as a United States territory. Two people have been elected to multiple non-consecutive terms as governor, William A. Egan and Walter J. Hickel. The longest-serving governor of the state was Egan, who served nearly 12 years over two distinct terms. The longest-serving territorial governor was Ernest Gruening, who served 13½ years. In a rare third party win in American politics, Walter J. Hickel was elected under the Alaskan Independence Party in 1990. The current governor is Sarah Palin, who took office in 2006 as the first female governor of Alaska; on July 3, 2009, she announced her resignation, effective July 26, 2009, nearly a year and a half early of her term expiration in December 2010.[7]
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[edit] Governors
Alaska was purchased by the United States from Russia in 1867, with formal transfer occurring on October 18, 1867, which is now celebrated as Alaska Day.[8] Prior to then, it was known as Russian America or Russian Alaska, controlled by the governors and general managers of the Russian-American Company.
[edit] Commanders of the Department of Alaska
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The vast region was initially designated the Department of Alaska, under the jurisdiction of the Department of War and administered by U.S. Army officers until 1877, when the Army was withdrawn from Alaska. The Department of the Treasury then took control, with the Collector of Customs as the highest ranking federal official in the territory. In 1879, the U.S. Navy was given jurisdiction over the department.[9]
Supposedly, the first American administrator of Alaska was Polish immigrant Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski. However, the Anchorage Daily News was unable to find any conclusive information to support this claim.[10]
| # | Commander | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States Army | |||
| 1 | Brevet Major General Jefferson C. Davis | October 18, 1867 | August 31, 1870 |
| 2 | Brevet Lieutenant Colonel George K. Brady | September 1, 1870 | September 22, 1870 |
| 3 | Maj. John C. Tidball | September 23, 1870 | September 19, 1871 |
| 4 | Maj. Harvey A. Allen | September 20, 1871 | January 3, 1873 |
| 5 | Maj. Joseph Stewart | January 4, 1873 | April 20, 1874 |
| 6 | Captain George R. Rodney | April 21, 1874 | August 16, 1874 |
| 7 | Capt. Joseph B. Campbell | August 17, 1874 | June 14, 1876 |
| 8 | Capt. John Mendenhall | June 15, 1876 | March 4, 1877 |
| 9 | Capt. Arthur Morris | March 5, 1877 | June 14, 1877 |
| United States Department of the Treasury | |||
| 10 | Montgomery P. Berry | June 14, 1877 | August 13, 1877 |
| 11 | H.C. DeAhna | August 14, 1877 | March 26, 1878 |
| 12 | Mottrom D. Ball | March 27, 1878 | June 13, 1879 |
| United States Navy | |||
| 13 | Capt. Lester A. Beardslee | June 14, 1879 | September 12, 1880 |
| 14 | Commander Henry Glass | September 13, 1880 | August 9, 1881 |
| 15 | Cmdr. Edward P. Lull | August 10, 1881 | October 18, 1881 |
| 16 | Cmdr. Henry Glass | October 19, 1881 | March 12, 1882 |
| 17 | Cmdr. Frederick Pearson | March 13, 1882 | October 3, 1882 |
| 18 | Cmdr. Edgar C. Merriman | October 4, 1882 | September 13, 1883 |
| 19 | Cmdr. Joseph B. Coghlan | September 15, 1883 | September 13, 1884 |
| 20 | Cmdr. Henry E. Nichols | September 14, 1884 | September 15, 1884 |
[edit] Governors of the District of Alaska
On May 17, 1884, the Department of Alaska was redesignated the District of Alaska, an incorporated but unorganized territory with a civil government. The governor was appointed by the President of the United States.
| Governor | Took office | Left office | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Henry Kinkead | July 4, 1884 | May 7, 1885 | Chester A. Arthur |
| Alfred P. Swineford | May 7, 1885 | April 20, 1889 | Grover Cleveland |
| Lyman Enos Knapp | April 20, 1889 | June 18, 1893 | Benjamin Harrison |
| James Sheakley | June 18, 1893 | June 23, 1897 | Grover Cleveland |
| John Green Brady | June 23, 1897 | March 2, 1906[N 1] | William McKinley |
| Wilford Bacon Hoggatt | March 2, 1906 | May 20, 1909 | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Walter Eli Clark | May 20, 1909 | April 18, 1913 | William Howard Taft |
[edit] Governors of Alaska Territory
The District of Alaska was organized into Alaska Territory on August 24, 1912. Governors continued to be appointed by the President of the United States.
| Governor | Took office | Left office | Appointed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Franklin Alexander Strong | April 18, 1913 | April 12, 1918 | Woodrow Wilson | [N 2] |
| Thomas Christmas Riggs, Jr. | April 12, 1918 | June 16, 1921 | Woodrow Wilson | |
| Scott Cordelle Bone | June 16, 1921 | August 16, 1925 | Warren G. Harding | |
| George Alexander Parks | August 16, 1925 | April 19, 1933 | Calvin Coolidge | |
| John Weir Troy | April 19, 1933 | December 6, 1939 | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | |
| Ernest Gruening | December 6, 1939 | April 10, 1953 | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | [N 3] |
| Benjamin Franklin Heintzleman | April 10, 1953 | January 3, 1957 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | [N 4] |
| Waino Edward Hendrickson | January 3, 1957 | April 8, 1957 | acting | [N 5] |
| Michael Anthony Stepovich | April 8, 1957 | August 9, 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | [N 6] |
| Waino Edward Hendrickson | August 9, 1958 | January 3, 1959 | acting | [N 5] |
[edit] Governors of the State of Alaska
Alaska was admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959.
There have been five governors each representing the Republican and Democratic parties, and one, Walter J. Hickel, who was elected under the Alaskan Independence Party during his second time in office. Many Republicans were unhappy with the choice of Arliss Sturgulewski as their party's candidate for governor in the 1990 election, and Hickel was able to attract their votes. However, he never held the AIP's secessionist ideals, and switched back to the Republican Party eight months before his term ended.
Democratic Republican Alaskan Independence
| # | Governor | Term start | Term end | Party | Lieutenant Governor[N 7] | Terms[N 8] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William A. Egan | January 3, 1959 | December 5, 1966 | Democratic | Hugh Wade | 2 | |
| 2 | Walter J. Hickel | December 5, 1966 | January 29, 1969 | Republican | Keith Miller | ½[N 9] | |
| 3 | Keith Miller | January 29, 1969 | December 7, 1970 | Republican | Robert W. Ward | ½[N 10] | |
| 4 | William A. Egan | December 7, 1970 | December 2, 1974 | Democratic | H. A. "Red" Boucher | 1 | |
| 5 | Jay Hammond | December 2, 1974 | December 6, 1982 | Republican | Lowell Thomas, Jr. | 2 | |
| Terry Miller | |||||||
| 6 | Bill Sheffield | December 6, 1982 | December 1, 1986 | Democratic | Stephen McAlpine | 1 | |
| 7 | Steve Cowper | December 1, 1986 | December 3, 1990 | Democratic | Stephen McAlpine | 1 | |
| 8 | Walter J. Hickel | December 3, 1990 | December 5, 1994 | Alaskan Independence[N 11] | Jack Coghill | 1 | |
| 9 | Tony Knowles | December 5, 1994 | December 2, 2002 | Democratic | Fran Ulmer | 2 | |
| 10 | Frank Murkowski | December 2, 2002 | December 4, 2006 | Republican | Loren Leman | 1 | |
| 11 | Sarah Palin | December 4, 2006 | incumbent | Republican | Sean Parnell | 1[N 12][N 13] | |
[edit] Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Alaska except where noted.
- * Denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
- † Denotes those offices from which the governor resigned to take the governorship.
| Governor | Gubernatorial term | Other offices held | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Henry Kinkead | 1884–1885 (district) | Governor of Nevada | [18] |
| James Sheakley | 1893–1897 (district) | U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania | [19] |
| Ernest Gruening | 1939–1953 (territorial) | U.S. Senator | [20] |
| Walter J. Hickel | 1966–1969, 1990–1994 | U.S. Secretary of the Interior* | [21] |
| Frank Murkowski | 2002–2006 | U.S. Senator† | [22] |
[edit] Living former governors
As of June 2009[update], seven former governors were alive, including Michael Anthony Stepovich, the last living pre-statehood governor in the United States. The most recent death of a former governor was that of Jay Hammond (1974–1982), who died on August 2, 2005.
| Governor | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Anthony Stepovich | 1957–1958 (territorial) | March 12, 1919 |
| Walter J. Hickel | 1966–1969, 1990–1994 | August 18, 1919 |
| Keith Miller | 1969–1970 | March 1, 1925 |
| Bill Sheffield | 1982–1986 | June 26, 1928 |
| Steve Cowper | 1986–1990 | August 21, 1938 |
| Tony Knowles | 1994–2002 | January 1, 1943 |
| Frank Murkowski | 2002–2006 | March 28, 1933 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Forced to resign due to his involvement with the fraudulent Reynolds–Alaska Development Company[11]
- ^ Resigned; was asked to resign after it was discovered he was still a Canadian citizen[12]
- ^ During most of World War II, Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., was the military commander of Alaska, and held much executive power over the district.[13]
- ^ Resigned; was reportedly unhappy with the job, and did not expect to be reappointed[14]
- ^ a b As secretary of Alaska, acted as governor[15]
- ^ Resigned to run for U.S. Senate; he lost that election[15]
- ^ The office of lieutenant governor was named secretary of state until 1970.[6]
- ^ The fractional terms of some governors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple governors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
- ^ Resigned to become United States Secretary of the Interior
- ^ As secretary of state, filled unexpired term
- ^ Hickel switched to the Republican Party in April 1994.[16]
- ^ Governor Palin's term expires December 6, 2010; she is not yet term limited.
- ^ >Governor Palin has announced that she will be resigning effective July 26, 2009.[17]
[edit] References
- General
- "Governors of Alaska". National Governors Association. http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.8fd3d12ab65b304f8a278110501010a0?submit=Submit&State=AK. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- Gates, Nancy (2007). The Alaska Almanac: Facts about Alaska (30th ed.). Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co.. pp. 85–87. ISBN 0882406523. http://books.google.com/books?id=g_0sbbGO69gC.
- Constitution
- "Constitution of the State of Alaska". Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska. 1956. http://ltgov.state.ak.us/constitution.php. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- Specific
- ^ AK Const. art. II, § 15
- ^ AK Const. art. III
- ^ AK Const. art. III, § 4
- ^ AK Const. art. III, § 5
- ^ AK Const. art. III, § 11
- ^ a b "Constitutional Amendments". Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska. http://ltgov.state.ak.us/constitution.php?section=amendments. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ^ http://aprn.org/2009/07/03/palin-to-resign-this-is-in-alaskas-best-interests/
- ^ "State Symbols". Alaska Office of Economic Development. http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/student_info/student.htm. Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
- ^ Gates p. 86
- ^ Ruskin, Liz (2002-12-20). "Barking up the wrong Pole: Hero wasn't governor". Anchorage Daily News. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wbkrzyzanowski.htm. Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
- ^ Janson, Lone (1975). The Copper Spike. Alaska Northwest Publishing Co.. p. 44. ISBN 0882400452.
- ^ Gruening, Ernest (1973). Many Battles: The Autobiography of Ernest Gruening. Liveright. p. 216. ISBN 0871405652.
- ^ Personal Justice Denied: Report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. University of Washington Press. 1997. p. 319. ISBN 029597558X. http://books.google.com/books?id=7r3U_KuP_Q0C.
- ^ Naske, Claus-M. (1985). A History of Alaska Statehood. University Press of America. p. 244. ISBN 0819145564.
- ^ a b Naske, Claus-M.; Herman E. Slotnick (1979). Alaska: A History of the 49th State. Eerdmans. p. 309. ISBN 0802870414.
- ^ "Alaska's Gov. Hickel Rejoins Gop Amid Speculation Over Another Term". The Seattle Times (Seattle, Washington: The Seattle Times Company). April 15, 1994. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940415&slug=1905548. Retrieved on 2008-09-28.
- ^ "Palin stepping down this month". July 3, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/03/palin/index.html. Retrieved on July 3, 2009.
- ^ "Nevada Governor John Henry Kinkead". National Governor's Association. http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=e68c2243a15a7010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.
- ^ "Sheakley, James". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000313. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ^ "Gruening, Ernest". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=G000508. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ^ "Alaska Governor Walter J. Hickel". National Governors Association. http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=1307ae3effb81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD. Retrieved on 2008-10-15.
- ^ "Murkowski, Frank Hughes". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M001085. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
[edit] External links
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