Don Young, Alaska’s longest-serving Representative, died on March 18, 2022. When he died, he was 88 years old. His office issued an official statement confirming his death.
According to the statement:
“It is with heavy hearts and profound grief that we announce the death of Congressman Don Young (R-AK), the Dean of the House and a respected advocate for Alaska, who died today while flying home to Alaska to be with the state and people he loved.” Anne, his devoted wife, was at his side.”
Alaska Congressman Don Young, dean of the House, has died, according to friends, former staffers and relatives.
— Liz Ruskin-AK public radio reporter (@lruskin) March 19, 2022
According to the Huffington Post, Young’s longtime friend and former chief of staff Jack Ferguson also died. He said that
“I received a phone call from Alaska Airlines. Don died in Concourse B, they informed me. I was so taken aback that I didn’t even inquire if it was in Anchorage or Seattle.”
The public was not informed of the immediate reason for Don Young’s death. His office, however, informed the Associated Press that a more specific plan for Young’s memorial service would be released in the coming days.
A Look Into Don Young’s life
Don Young grew up on a farm near Meridian, California, and was born on June 9, 1933. He graduated from Yuba College with an associate’s degree in education in 1952 and Chico State College with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1958. Between 1955 and 1957, Young served in the United States Army’s 41st Tank Battalion before relocating to Alaska in 1959. In 2016, he told the Associated Press that he chose to go to the north after being inspired by Jack London’s classic Call of the Wild, which his father often read to him:
“I can’t tolerate the heat, and while I was working on a ranch, I used to fantasize about going somewhere cool where there were no snakes or poison oak.”
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Career
The congressman began his career at Fort Yukon City, Alaska, working in construction, fishing, trapping, and gold mining. He also obtained a mariner’s license, which he used to run a tugboat that delivered goods and supplies to Yukon River settlements. During the winter, he even taught fifth-graders at a nearby Bureau of Indian Affairs primary school. Young met his first wife, Lu, in Alaska, and she subsequently inspired him to run for Congress. In 1963, the couple married and had two kids.
Don Young entered politics in 1964 when he was elected mayor of Fort Yukon, a position he held from 1964 until 1968. He ran for the Alaska House of Representatives the same year and finished eighth. Young was first elected to the State House in 1966 and was re-elected in 1968. Meanwhile, from 1967 to 1971, he was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives. In 1970, the politician campaigned for and was elected to the Alaska Senate’s two-member District I. From 1971 to 1973, he was President. In 1972, Young campaigned for Congress against Democratic Party Representative Nick Begich. The former was killed in an aircraft accident over three weeks before the election.
Begich’s corpse was never found, despite being re-elected, and he was pronounced legally dead in December 1972. Following his death, Young was elected in a special election in March 1973 and remained in office until his death on Friday. The Congressman was re-elected to the office 24 times, making him the most senior member of Congress. Following Jim Sensenbrenner’s resignation in the 1970s, he was also the final member to hold office. Young was named “Freshman Congressman of the Year” by his colleagues shortly after his election in 1973. The politician led the House Natural Resources Committee from 1995 until 2001.
Between 2001 through 2007, he served as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In the 110th Congress, Young was re-appointed to chair the Resources Committee. In addition, in the 112th Congress, he was named Chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs (IIANA), a position he maintained until 2017. Don Young was named Chairman Emeritus of the House Committee on Natural Resources after his successful 6-year tenure as Chairman of the IIANA Subcommittee.
He was the most senior Republican on both the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee prior to his death. Young was known as the “Congressman for All Alaska” and was proud to be the sole Alaskan Representative in Congress, according to his official biography. He apparently served in his position with the goal of “giving residents the possibility for a better life,” not only in the now but also in the future. Young’s first wife, Lu, died in 2009 after a 46-year marriage. Several years later, the politician married Fairbanks-area flight nurse Anne Garland Walton.
Dan Young’s death has been mourned by Twitter.
Don Young was a notable player in the U.S. political landscape as the longest-serving Alaskan Congressman. His political career stretched six decades, making him the Republican member of the House of Representatives and Congress with the most time in office. For over 49 years, Young represented Alaska. Following the news of Young’s untimely death, some of his coworkers, colleagues, and fans flocked to Twitter to express their condolences. Don Young will be missed by his family, friends, acquaintances, contemporaries, and fans, according to the outpouring of condolences on social media. His second wife, Anne, his biological daughters Dawn and Joni, as well as his grandkids survive him.
