Governors of Alaska

Profile manager: David Randall [send private message]

GOVERNORS OF ALASKA

This sub-project is part of the larger U.S. Governors Project. Please visit the main project page for details on the goals and objectives of this project.

Link to the Alaska Governors Category Page

Alaska was purchased by the United States from the Russian Empire in 1867. Before then, it was known as Russian America or Russian Alaska, controlled by the governors and general managers of the Russian-American Company. Once under U.S. control, the vast region was designated the Department of Alaska, under the jurisdiction of the Department of War and administered by Army officers until 1877. The Army was then withdrawn from Alaska and the Department of the Treasury took control, with the Collector of Customs as the highest ranking federal official in the territory. In 1879, the Navy was given jurisdiction over the department. During that time, twenty different men oversaw the governance of Alaska, but it wasn't until 1884, when the Department of Alaska was incorporated as the District of Alaska with a civil government that the region's first governor was appointed. Seven men served as governor of the Department of Alaska, followed by nine more how served as territorial governors after Alaska's status was promoted from District to Territory. [A tenth man, Waino Hendrickson, served twice as acting territorial governor for cumulative total of eight months.]

Twelve people have served as governor of the State of Alaska over 14 distinct terms, as two individuals, William A. Egan and Wally Hickel, were elected to multiple non-consecutive terms. Sarah Palin is the only woman to serve as governor of Alaska.

In the below list, columns can be sorted by clicking on the arrow button in any category heading box. A "C" in the final column denotes a Notable who has been successfully connected to the Big Tree. "N/C" stands for Not Connected.

GOVERNORS OF ALASKA DISTRICT

#	Governor	Born	Died	Term	Photo	C
1	John Henry Kinkead	1826	1904	1884-1885		C
2	Alfred P. Swineford	1836	1909	1885-1889		C
3	Lymon Enos Knapp	1837	1904	1889-1893		C
4	James Sheakley	1829	1917	1893-1897		C
5	John Green Brady	1847	1918	1897-1906		C
6	Wilford Bacon Hoggatt	1865	1938	1906-1909		C
7	Walter Eli Clark	1869	1950	1909-1912		C

GOVERNORS OF ALASKA TERRITORY

#	Governor	Born	Died	Term	Photo	C
1	Walter Eli Clark	1869	1950	1912-1913		C
2	John Franklin Alexander Strong	1856	1929	1913-1918		C
3	Thomas Riggs Jr.	1873	1945	1918-1921		C
4	Scott Cordelle Bone	1860	1936	1921-1925		C
5	George Alexander Parks	1883	1984	1925-1933		C
6	John Weir Troy	1868	1942	1933-1939		C
7	Ernest Gruening	1887	1974	1939-1953		C
8	B. Frank Heintzleman	1888	1965	1953-1957		C
Act	Waino Hendrickson	1896	1983	1957		C
9	Mike Stepovich	1919	2014	1957-1958		C
Act	Waino Hendrickson	1896	1983	1958-1959		C

GOVERNORS OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

#	Governor	Born	Died	Term	Photo	C
1	William A. Egan	1914	1984	1959-1966		C
2	Wally Hickel	1919	2010	1966-1969		C
3	Keith Harvey Miller	1925	2019	1969-1970		C
1	William A. Egan	1914	1984	1970-1974		C
4	Jay Hammond	1927	2005	1974-1982		C
5	Bill Sheffield	1928	2022	1982-1986		C
6	Steve Cowper	1938	LIVING	1986-1990		C
2	Wally Hickel	1919	2010	1990-1994		C
7	Tony Knowles	1943	LIVING	1994-2002		C
8	Frank Murkowski	1933	LIVING	2002-2006		N/C
9	Sarah Palin	1964	LIVING	2006-2009		C
10	Sean Parnell	1962	LIVING	2009-2014		N/C
11	Bill Walker	1951	LIVING	2014-2018		N/C
12	Mike Dunleavy	1961	LIVING	2018-present		N/C