Don Young: Remembering an Alaska Legend
Photo Courtesy Gene Pool
Gene Pool and Don Young.
Champion for Alaskans remembered for service
the most senior member of either par- ty, and was reelected in 2020 to serve his 25th term. He was running for a 26th. Asked how long he planned to serve, Young told the New York Times: “The only time I’ll retire is when peo- ple want to retire me,” Young said in 2014. “The people decide I can’t serve them any more, they’ll get rid of me. It’s that simple.” He served on the House Natural Resources and House Transportation and Infrastructure committees during the current Congress. His office described him as a “fierce defender of Alaska,” adding, “from the Trans-Alaska pipeline, to the Ketchikan Shipyard, to the Magnuson Stevens Act, which transformed the
American fishing industry, to the nu - merous land exchanges he fought for, Don Young’s legacy cannot be over- stated.” Young first entered politics when he was elected mayor of Fort Yukon, Alaska in 1964. He later served four years in the Alaska House and three years in the state Senate. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election in 1973. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in a statement: “Alaskans are dev- astated by this shocking and sad news and I am saddened beyond belief about the loss of my friend. We have lost a gi- ant who we loved dearly and who held Alaska in his heart — always.”
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the lon- gest-serving member of the current Congress, passed away March 18 at age 88. On the following pages are tributes from his colleagues and friends, as well as more information about Don’s career serving Alaska. “It’s with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we announce Congress- man Don Young (R-Alaska), the Dean of the House and revered champion for Alaska, passed away today while traveling home to Alaska to be with the state and people that he loved,” the statement said. “His beloved wife Anne was by his side.” Young was the dean of the House,
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The Alaska Miner
Spring 2022
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