The lieutenant governor of Alaska (Iñupiaq: Alaskam Kavanaata Ikayuqtiksrautaa) is the deputy elected official to the governor of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unlike most lieutenant governors in the U.S., the office also maintains the duties of a secretary of state, and indeed was named such until August 25, 1970.[1] Prior to statehood, the territorial-era Secretary of Alaska, who was appointed by the president of the United States like the governor, functioned as an acting governor or successor-in-waiting. Currently, the lieutenant governor accedes to the governorship in case of a vacancy.[2] The lieutenant governor runs together with the governor in both the primary and the general election as a slate.
List
edit| No. | Lieutenant Governor[a] | Term in office | Party | Election | Governor[b] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Hugh Wade (1901–1995) |
January 3, 1959 – December 5, 1966 (lost election) |
Democratic[4] | 1958 | William A. Egan | ||
| 1962 | ||||||||
| 2 | 
|
Keith Harvey Miller (1925–2019) |
December 5, 1966 – January 29, 1969 (succeeded to governor) |
Republican[5] | 1966 | Wally Hickel | ||
| 3 |
|
Robert W. Ward (1929–1997) |
January 29, 1969 – December 7, 1970 (lost election) |
Republican | Succeeded from commissioner of administration |
Keith Harvey Miller | ||
| 4 | 
|
H. A. Boucher (1921–2009) |
December 7, 1970 – December 2, 1974 (lost election) |
Democratic[6] | 1970 | William A. Egan | ||
| 5 | 
|
Lowell Thomas Jr. (1923–2016) |
December 2, 1974 – December 4, 1978 (did not run) |
Republican[7] | 1974 | Jay Hammond | ||
| 6 | 
|
Terry Miller (1942–1989) |
December 4, 1978 – December 6, 1982 (did not run)[c] |
Republican[8] | 1978 | |||
| 7 | 
|
Steve McAlpine (b. 1949) |
December 6, 1982 – December 3, 1990 (did not run)[d] |
Democratic[9] | 1982 | Bill Sheffield | ||
| 1986 | Steve Cowper | |||||||
| 8 | .jpeg)
|
Jack Coghill (1925–2019) |
December 3, 1990 – December 5, 1994 (did not run)[e] |
Alaskan Independence[10] |
1990 | Wally Hickel | ||
| 9 | 
|
Fran Ulmer (b. 1947) |
December 5, 1994 – December 2, 2002 (did not run)[f] |
Democratic[11] | 1994 | Tony Knowles | ||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 10 | 
|
Loren Leman (b. 1950) |
December 2, 2002 – December 4, 2006 (did not run) |
Republican[12] | 2002 | Frank Murkowski | ||
| 11 | 
|
Sean Parnell (b. 1962) |
December 4, 2006 – July 26, 2009 (succeeded to governor) |
Republican[13] | 2006 | Sarah Palin | ||
| — | Vacant | July 26, 2009 – August 10, 2009 |
Office vacated by succession to governor[g] |
Sean Parnell | ||||
| 12 | 
|
Craig Campbell (b. 1952) |
August 10, 2009 – December 6, 2010 (did not run) |
Republican | Nominated by governor and confirmed by legislature | |||
| 13 | 
|
Mead Treadwell (b. 1956) |
December 6, 2010 – December 1, 2014 (did not run)[h] |
Republican[15] | 2010 | |||
| 14 | 
|
Byron Mallott (1943–2020) |
December 1, 2014 – October 16, 2018 (resigned)[i] |
Independent[17] | 2014 | Bill Walker | ||
| 15 |
|
Valerie Davidson (b. 1967) |
October 16, 2018 – December 3, 2018 (withdrew)[j] |
Independent | Appointed by governor | |||
| 16 | .jpg)
|
Kevin Meyer (b. 1956) |
December 3, 2018 – December 5, 2022 (did not run)[19] |
Republican[20] | 2018 | Mike Dunleavy | ||
| 17 | 
|
Nancy Dahlstrom (b. 1957) |
December 5, 2022 – Incumbent[k] |
Republican[21] | 2022 | |||
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The office of lieutenant governor was named secretary of state until 1970.[3]
- ^ Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
- ^ Miller instead ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor.
- ^ McAlpine instead ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.
- ^ Coghill instead ran unsuccessfully for governor.
- ^ Ulmer instead ran unsuccessfully for governor.
- ^ Parnell succeeded to the governorship upon Palin's resignation. Joe Schmidt, commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Palin's designated replacement for Parnell, refused the position. Campbell was appointed as "Temporary Substitute Lieutenant Governor" on July 26, 2009, and was confirmed by the Alaska Legislature on August 10, 2009.[14]
- ^ Treadwell instead ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate.
- ^ Mallott resigned, citing inappropriate comments he had made to a woman; Davidson, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, was appointed to succeed him.[16]
- ^ Davidson withdrew from the election on October 19, 2018, after the deadline of September 4, and so remained on the ballot.[18]
- ^ Dahlstrom's first term expires on December 7, 2026.
References
edit- General
- Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- Specific
- ^ AK Const. amendments
- ^ "The Constitution of the State of Alaska". Lieutenant Governor of Alaska. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Kallenbach 1977, pp. 41–43.
- ^ "End of Campaign Trail Puts Choice Up to Alaska Voters". The Nome Nugget. AP. November 24, 1958. p. 10. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Sims, Ward (November 7, 1966). "68,000 Alaskans to Decide Tight Governor's Race". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. AP. p. 1. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "Big Turnout at Polls Here". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. November 3, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Greeley, John (November 6, 1974). "Egan, Hammond Race for Governor Seesaws As Votes Trickle In". Daily Sitka Sentinel. AP. p. 1. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "Teamsters Get Behind Hickel Write-In Try". Daily Sitka Sentinel. AP. November 2, 1978. p. 5. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Bartley, Bruce (October 4, 1982). "Gubernatorial Candidates Hold Pre-Debate Debates". Daily Sitka Sentinel. AP. p. 10. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "Independence Party Wants Coghill's Seat". Daily Sitka Sentinel. AP. November 15, 1990. p. 1. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Pagano, Rosanne (November 9, 1994). "Governor's Race Still Up in the Air". Daily Sitka Sentinel. AP. p. 1. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "Leman leads GOP race for lt. governor - UPI Archives". UPI. August 28, 2002. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Elmer, Patti (November 3, 2010). "Parnell will keep his job as Alaska governor". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Forgey, Pat (August 11, 2009). "Campbell answers concerns, wins strong approval: New lieutenant governor no longer temporary, acting". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ Demer, Lisa (October 16, 2010). "Treadwell spent big during primary to get name recognition". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ DeMarban, Alex (October 17, 2018). "Valerie Davidson, Alaska's new lieutenant governor, has a long history fighting for Native issues". Anchorage Daily News. Anchorage, Alaska. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ "Primary Election Breakdowns for Alaska, Wyoming". Arizona Daily Star. AP. August 20, 2014. pp. A16. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Hsieh, Jeremy; KTOO, Andrew Kitchenman and David Purdy (October 19, 2018). "Updated: Gov. Walker suspends re-election campaign and backs Begich". KTOO. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Brooks, James (December 28, 2021). "Alaska Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer will not run for reelection in 2022". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Kitchenman, Andrew (November 6, 2018). "Meyer, Call bring different backgrounds as lieutenant governor candidates". KTOO. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ George, Kavitha (December 13, 2022). "Nancy Dahlstrom has spent most of her 20-year political career out of the spotlight. Now she's second in command". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved December 6, 2023.