Alaska politics is a different beast entirely. Honestly, if you look at the track record of the people who have run the state since 1959, you'll see it’s less about party lines and more about who can survive a plane crash or stand up to "Big Oil." Being one of the past governors of Alaska isn't just a resume builder; it’s a trial by fire in a place where the federal government owns 60% of the land and the weather tries to kill you half the year.
People think they know Alaska politics because of the 2008 vice presidential race. But that's just a tiny, polished sliver of the story. From the "King of the Arctic" to the guy who literally walked away from the GOP to win as an Independent, the history here is messy. It’s colorful. It’s rugged.
The First of the Past Governors of Alaska: Bill Egan’s Heavy Lift
William A. Egan was basically the father of Alaskan statehood. Imagine trying to build a government from scratch in a territory that most people in D.C. thought was just a giant ice cube. Egan served two non-consecutive terms, and his first go-around starting in 1959 was essentially a decade-long construction project. He had to set up the court system, the police, and the tax codes while the state was still reeling from the transition out of federal oversight.
Then 1964 happened. The Great Alaskan Earthquake—9.2 on the Richter scale—ripped the state apart. Egan didn't just govern; he spent his days in the mud of Anchorage and Valdez, coordinating a recovery that seemed impossible at the time. He was a Democrat, but in the way old-school Alaskans were: pro-labor, pro-development, and fiercely protective of local control. He set the tone for every governor who followed him. If you aren't ready to handle a literal natural disaster of biblical proportions, you probably shouldn't run for office in Juneau.
The Wally Hickel Phenomenon
Walter "Wally" Hickel is a legend. Period. He was a self-made millionaire who arrived in Alaska with 37 cents in his pocket and eventually became governor twice—once as a Republican and once as part of the Alaskan Independence Party.
His first term was cut short because Richard Nixon tapped him for Secretary of the Interior. Hickel was so "pro-Alaska" that he actually got fired by Nixon for being too vocal about environmental protections and the rights of young people. He came back decades later in 1990, bypassed the primary system entirely, and won the governorship on a third-party ticket. That just doesn't happen in the "Lower 48." Hickel’s obsession was "The Owner State." He believed every Alaskan should benefit directly from the state's resources. When you look at the Alaska Permanent Fund today, you're seeing the ghost of Hickel's philosophy in action.
👉 See also: Who's the Next Pope: Why Most Predictions Are Basically Guesswork
Jay Hammond and the Birth of the Permanent Fund
If Egan built the house, Jay Hammond made sure the kids had an inheritance. Hammond is arguably the most beloved of all the past governors of Alaska. He was a bush pilot, a poet, and a guy who looked like he just stepped out of a cabin in the woods—because he basically had.
He presided over the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Think about that pressure. Billions of dollars were suddenly flooding into a state with a tiny population. Most politicians would have spent it all on shiny projects. Hammond didn't. He pushed for the creation of the Alaska Permanent Fund. He wanted to make sure that when the oil eventually ran out, Alaskans wouldn't be left broke.
Because of him, Alaskans get a check every year. It’s the closest thing to a Universal Basic Income in the U.S., and it was championed by a bearded Republican who preferred the wilderness to the capital. Hammond was a "green" Republican before that was a thing, often clashing with his own party over how fast the state should develop. He was nuanced. He wasn't a caricature.
The Modern Era: From Murkowski to Palin and Beyond
The early 2000s were... complicated. Frank Murkowski left the U.S. Senate to become governor in 2002, which many saw as a step down in power but a step up in local influence. His tenure was rocky. He appointed his own daughter, Lisa Murkowski, to fill his Senate seat—a move that still gets talked about in Alaskan bars to this day. It was seen as the ultimate "old boys club" move, and the backlash was swift.
Enter Sarah Palin.
✨ Don't miss: Recent Obituaries in Charlottesville VA: What Most People Get Wrong
Most people know the national version of Palin, but in Alaska, she started as a "giant killer." She took down the Republican establishment by leaning into a populist, anti-corruption message. She was young, she was a hockey mom, and she was genuinely popular—at first. Her 2006 victory over Murkowski in the primary was a seismic shift.
But then came the 2008 campaign. When she returned to Alaska after losing the VP race, things felt different. The "Bridge to Nowhere" scandal, the ethics investigations, and the constant media circus took a toll. She resigned in 2009, leaving Sean Parnell to take the reins. Her departure remains one of the most debated moments in the history of past governors of Alaska. Was she chased out by "frivolous" lawsuits, or did she just want a bigger stage? Depending on who you ask in Fairbanks or Juneau, you'll get two very different answers.
Bill Walker’s Independent Streak
By 2014, Alaskans were tired of the standard party platforms. Bill Walker, a former Republican, teamed up with Byron Mallott, a Democrat, to run on a "Unity Ticket." It was a bizarre, only-in-Alaska experiment. Walker won, becoming the first Independent governor in years.
His term was defined by a massive fiscal crisis. Oil prices plummeted, and the state's budget—which is almost entirely dependent on oil—went into a tailspin. Walker had to do the unthinkable: he cut the Permanent Fund Dividend. To many Alaskans, that's a sin worse than raising taxes. He was a one-term governor because he made the hard mathematical choices that no one else wanted to touch. It’s a reminder that in Alaska, the price of a barrel of crude oil has more power than the person sitting in the Governor’s Mansion.
Why This History Actually Matters Today
You can't understand Alaska without looking at these people. They weren't just administrators; they were characters. They had to deal with the "federal overreach" that Alaskans complain about daily, the massive influence of companies like Exxon and ConocoPhillips, and the unique needs of Indigenous communities across the vast interior.
🔗 Read more: Trump New Gun Laws: What Most People Get Wrong
- Resource Management: Almost every governor's legacy is tied to how they handled oil and fish.
- Infrastructure: In a state where many villages aren't on a road system, governors are judged by how they handle aviation and marine highways.
- The PFD: The Permanent Fund Dividend is the third rail of Alaska politics. Touch it, and you likely lose your job.
The transition from Mike Dunleavy (the current incumbent) back through this list shows a pattern of fierce independence. Alaskans don't like being told what to do by D.C., and they don't even like being told what to do by their own party leaders.
Practical Steps for Researching Alaska’s Political History
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lives of these leaders, don't just stick to Wikipedia. The nuance is in the primary sources.
First, check out the Alaska State Archives in Juneau. They have digitized a surprising amount of correspondence from the Egan and Hammond eras. It’s fascinating to see the raw telegrams sent during the 1964 earthquake.
Second, read "The Two Valleys" by Jay Hammond. It’s not a dry political memoir. It’s a book about a man who loved the land more than the office. It gives you a real sense of why Alaska’s political identity is so tied to the environment.
Finally, look at the Alaska Public Design Board records if you want to understand the scandals. Most of the drama involving past governors comes down to land use and resource rights. Understanding the "Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act" (ANCSA) is also mandatory if you want to see how governors like Steve Cowper or Tony Knowles had to navigate the complex relationship between the state and Tribal corporations.
Alaska isn't just a state; it's a massive, resource-rich non-contiguous entity that functions more like a small country. The governors who succeeded were the ones who realized they were leading a frontier, not just a government branch.
To get a full picture of how these leaders shaped the state, your next step should be to look into the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation's historical annual reports. They track the state's wealth from the pipeline days to the present, serving as a financial diary of every administration since Jay Hammond. You can also visit the Alaska State Museum website to view digital exhibits on the 1955 Constitutional Convention, where the foundation for the governorship was first laid by the "Forty-Niners."