Bryce Edgmon (born May 3, 1961) is a member of the
Alaska House of Representatives
The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people pe ...
, representing the 37th District. He served as speaker from 2017–2021. The district includes all or portions of the
Kodiak Island Borough,
Aleutians East Borough,
Lake and Peninsula Borough,
Bristol Bay Borough, and the
Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area.
As of 2024, Edgmon is the most senior member of the Alaska House of Representatives.
Early and personal life
Edgmon was born and raised in
Dillingham, Alaska
Dillingham (), also known as Curyung, is a city in Dillingham Census Area, Alaska, United States. Incorporated in 1963, it is an important commercial fishing port on Nushagak Bay. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,2 ...
, where he fished commercially for salmon and herring for more than twenty years and where he was a longtime chairman of the board of Choggiung Ltd., the
Alaska Native village corporation for the communities of Dillingham, Ekuk, and Portage Creek. Edgmon's birth certificate identified him as three-sixteenths
Aleut
Aleuts ( ; (west) or (east) ) are the Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleuts and the islands are politically divided between the US state of Alaska ...
, and Edgmon was raised in a household that spoke
Yup'ik
The Yupʼik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yupʼik, Central Yupʼik, Alaskan Yupʼik ( own name ''Yupʼik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; Russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an ...
.
Edgmon is married to Melody Nibeck, and they have three children: Evan, Emma, and Magy. He currently lives in Dillingham. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the
University of Alaska, Anchorage.
Legislative career
Bryce Edgmon challenged incumbent
Carl Moses in the 2006 Democratic primary. The election deadlocked in a tie with each candidate receiving 767 votes. Eventually, the tie was settled by a coin toss.
After his party won 17 seats in 2016, two independents and three moderate Republicans decided to caucus with the Democrats, elevating him to Speaker. He is the first
Alaskan Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlin ...
in the history of the state to hold the position.
In addition to his duties as Speaker, Edgmon serves as vice-chair of the Health & Social Services Committee and chair of the Committee on Committees. He is also a member of the Commerce, Community & Economic Development; Legislative Council; and Arctic Policy and Economic Development & Tourism Committees for the 30th Legislature.
Prior to the 30th Alaska Legislature, Edgmon was seated on the House Finance Committee, with chairmanships of the Department of Public Safety and Department of Corrections Budget Subcommittees. During the 26th Legislature (2009–2010), Edgmon was co-chair of the House Energy Committee and chairman of the House Special Committee on Fisheries. Additionally, he has served on the Resources and Education Standing Committees and the ADF&G, Revenue, Commerce, and Transportation Budget Subcommittees.
Electoral history
2024
Primary
General
See also
*
List of Native American politicians
*
List of state legislature Speakers
References
External links
Alaska State House Majority SiteAlaska State Legislature BiographyProject Vote Smart profile* ''Follow the Money'' – Bryce Edgmon
*
20061994
campaign contributions
Bryce Edgmon
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgmon, Bryce
1961 births
21st-century members of the Alaska Legislature
Alaska independents
21st-century Alaska Native people
American people of Aleut descent
Democratic Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives
Living people
Native American state legislators in Alaska
People from Dillingham Census Area, Alaska
Speakers of the Alaska House of Representatives
University of Alaska Anchorage alumni
Yupik people