Ethan Berkowitz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ethan Berkowitz
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| Mayor of Anchorage | |
| In office July 1, 2015 – October 23, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Dan Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | Austin Quinn-Davidson (acting) |
| Minority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives | |
| In office 1999–2006 |
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| Preceded by | Gene Kubina |
| Succeeded by | Beth Kerttula |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives | |
| In office 1997–2007 |
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| Preceded by | Cynthia Toohey |
| Succeeded by | Lindsey Holmes |
| Constituency | 26th district (2003–2007) 13th district (1997–2003) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ethan Avram Berkowitz
February 4, 1962 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mara Kimmel |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) University of Cambridge (MPhil) University of California, Hastings (JD) |
Ethan Avram Berkowitz (born February 4, 1962) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from Alaska. He served as an Alaska State Representative from 1997 to 2007. During this time, he was the Democratic Party Minority Leader from 1999 to 2007. Berkowitz also ran for other important political roles. He was the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in 2006. In 2008, he ran for Alaska's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also ran for governor in 2010. In 2015, he was elected mayor of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. He was reelected in 2018. Berkowitz resigned as mayor of Anchorage in October 2020 due to personal reasons.
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Early Life and Education
Ethan Berkowitz was born in San Francisco, California. He went to Harvard College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983. He studied government and economics.
He then continued his education at Cambridge University in 1986. There, he earned a Master of Philosophy degree in polar studies. Later, in 1990, he earned a law degree (called a Juris Doctor) from the Hastings College of Law. After finishing law school, Berkowitz moved to Alaska. He has worked as a lawyer and also owned businesses.
Political Career
Serving in the Alaska House of Representatives
Berkowitz was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives. He represented District 26 in Anchorage. He was first elected in 1996. He was reelected four more times, serving until 2007. From 1999 to 2007, he was the Democratic Minority Leader. This means he was the main leader for the Democratic members in the House.
Running for Lieutenant Governor in 2006
In the 2006 election, Berkowitz ran for lieutenant governor of Alaska. He was the running mate for Tony Knowles, who was running for governor. They were defeated by Sarah Palin and Sean Parnell.
Running for U.S. Congress in 2008
In 2008, Berkowitz decided to run for the U.S. Representative position for Alaska's At-large congressional district. He ran against Republican Don Young. Young had been in Congress for a long time. Berkowitz won the Democratic primary election on August 26.
The general election was held on November 4, 2008. The first results showed Young in the lead. However, many votes still needed to be counted. On November 12, the media announced that Young had won. Berkowitz accepted his defeat on November 18. Young received 50% of the votes, and Berkowitz received 45%. Berkowitz received more votes than any other Democrat who had run against Young before. He came the closest to winning against Young since 1990.
Running for Governor in 2010
In December 2008, Berkowitz thought about running against Don Young again. But in July 2009, he decided not to. Instead, he considered running for Governor. He entered the race after Governor Sarah Palin resigned in July 2009. On August 24, 2010, he won the Democratic nomination. He ran with Diane E. Benson as his running mate. The current Republican Governor Sean Parnell defeated Berkowitz in the November general election.
Becoming Mayor of Anchorage in 2015
Berkowitz ran for mayor of Anchorage in 2015. The election was nonpartisan, meaning candidates did not run as members of a political party. He finished first in the primary election on April 7. This meant he moved on to a runoff election against Assemblywoman Amy Demboski. He won the runoff election on May 5 by a large number of votes.
Serving as Mayor of Anchorage
On July 1, 2015, Ethan Berkowitz officially became the mayor of Anchorage. In his speech, he asked everyone in the city to work together. He encouraged them to overcome differences and focus on the future. On October 13, 2020, he announced that he would resign from his position. His resignation became effective on October 23, 2020, due to personal reasons.
Other Activities
In February 2011, Berkowitz became a Senior Vice President at Strategies 360 in Anchorage, Alaska. He also co-hosted a radio show called Bernadette and Berkowitz Show on Anchorage radio station KFQD in 2014. He left the show when he started his campaign for mayor.
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Ethan Berkowitz
