List of governors of Alaska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Governor of Alaska |
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| Government of Alaska | |
| Residence | Alaska Governor's Mansion |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once consecutively |
| Inaugural holder | William A. Egan |
| Formation | January 3, 1959 |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Alaska |
| Salary | $145,000 (2022) |
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The governor of Alaska is the main leader of the state government in Alaska. This important job is like being the chief boss of the state. The governor is also in charge of Alaska's state military forces. The Iñupiaq name for the governor is Alaaskam kavanaa.
Alaska has had twelve different people serve as governor since it became a state. Some governors, like William A. Egan and Wally Hickel, served more than one term. Only two governors, William A. Egan and Bill Walker, were born in Alaska. Wally Hickel even won an election as a member of a smaller, "third" political party. The longest-serving state governor was William A. Egan, who served for almost 12 years.
Before Alaska became a state, it had many other leaders. These included military officers and officials from the U.S. government.
The current governor is Mike Dunleavy. He is a Republican and started his term on December 3, 2018.
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Alaska's Leaders Before Statehood
The United States bought Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867. This event is now celebrated as Alaska Day. Before 1867, Alaska was called Russian America. It was controlled by the Russian-American Company.
Early Leaders of Alaska
After the U.S. bought Alaska, it was first called the Department of Alaska. The U.S. Army was in charge until 1877. Then, the U.S. Treasury Department took over. The main official was the Collector of Customs. In 1879, the U.S. Navy became responsible for Alaska.
Some people think the first American leader of Alaska was Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski. He was a Polish immigrant. However, there is no clear proof to support this idea.
Governors of the District of Alaska
On May 17, 1884, Alaska became the District of Alaska. This meant it had a civil government. The president of the United States chose the governor for the district.
Governors of the Territory of Alaska
Alaska became an official Territory on August 24, 1912. The president of the United States still appointed the governors. The longest-serving territorial governor was Ernest Gruening, who served for over 13 years.
Governors of the State of Alaska
Alaska officially became a U.S. state on January 3, 1959.
The state's constitution says that the governor and lieutenant governor are elected together. They serve for four years. A governor can serve two terms in a row. After two terms, they must wait four years before running again. If the governor's office becomes empty, the lieutenant governor takes over. The role of lieutenant governor used to be called "secretary of state" until 1970.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
William A. Egan (1914–1984) |
January 3, 1959 – December 5, 1966 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1958 | Hugh Wade | ||
| 1962 | ||||||||
| 2 |  |
Wally Hickel (1919–2010) |
December 5, 1966 – January 24, 1969 (resigned) |
Republican | 1966 | Keith Harvey Miller | ||
| 3 |  |
Keith Harvey Miller (1925–2019) |
January 24, 1969 – December 7, 1970 (lost election) |
Republican | Succeeded from secretary of state |
Robert W. Ward | ||
| 1 | |
William A. Egan (1914–1984) |
December 7, 1970 – December 2, 1974 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1970 | H. A. Boucher | ||
| 4 |  |
Jay Hammond (1922–2005) |
December 2, 1974 – December 6, 1982 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1974 | Lowell Thomas Jr. | ||
| 1978 | Terry Miller | |||||||
| 5 | .jpg) |
Bill Sheffield (1928–2022) |
December 6, 1982 – December 1, 1986 (lost nomination) |
Democratic | 1982 | Steve McAlpine | ||
| 6 | .jpg) |
Steve Cowper (b. 1938) |
December 1, 1986 – December 3, 1990 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1986 | |||
| 2 | |
Wally Hickel (1919–2010) |
December 3, 1990 – December 5, 1994 (did not run) |
Alaskan Independence |
1990 | Jack Coghill | ||
| 7 | .jpg) |
Tony Knowles (b. 1943) |
December 5, 1994 – December 2, 2002 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1994 | Fran Ulmer | ||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 8 |  |
Frank Murkowski (b. 1933) |
December 2, 2002 – December 4, 2006 (lost nomination) |
Republican | 2002 | Loren Leman | ||
| 9 | .jpg) |
Sarah Palin (b. 1964) |
December 4, 2006 – July 26, 2009 (resigned) |
Republican | 2006 | Sean Parnell | ||
| 10 |  |
Sean Parnell (b. 1962) |
July 26, 2009 – December 1, 2014 (lost election) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | ||
| Craig Campbell (took office August 10, 2009) |
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| 2010 | Mead Treadwell | |||||||
| 11 |  |
Bill Walker (b. 1951) |
December 1, 2014 – December 3, 2018 (withdrew) |
Independent | 2014 | Byron Mallott (resigned October 16, 2018) |
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| Valerie Davidson | ||||||||
| 12 |  |
Mike Dunleavy (b. 1961) |
December 3, 2018 – Incumbent |
Republican | 2018 | Kevin Meyer | ||
| 2022 | Nancy Dahlstrom | |||||||
See also
- Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Alaska
- List of Alaska State Legislatures
- List of governors of dependent territories in the 19th century
- List of governors of dependent territories in the 20th century
Images for kids
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Jefferson C. Davis
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George K. Brady
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John C. Tidball
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Joseph Stewart
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George B. Rodney Jr.
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Joseph B. Campbell
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John Mendenhall
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Arthur Morris (US Army officer).jpg
Arthur Morris
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Montgomery P. Berry
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Henry Charles DeAhna
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M. D. Ball
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Lester A. Beardslee
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Henry Glass
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Edward P. Lull
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Frederick Pearson
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Edgar C. Merriman
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Joseph Coghlan
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Henry E. Nichols
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John Henry Kinkead
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Alfred P. Swineford
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Lyman Enos Knapp
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James Sheakley
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John Green Brady
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Wilford Bacon Hoggatt
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Walter Eli Clark
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John Franklin Alexander Strong
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Thomas Riggs Jr.
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Scott Cordelle Bone
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George Alexander Parks
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John Weir Troy
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Ernest Gruening
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B. Frank Heintzleman
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Mike Stepovich
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