Bryce Edgmon (born May 3, 1961) is a member of the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska 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 since 2006. He served as speaker from 2017–2021. The district includes all or portions of the

Kodiak Island Borough Kodiak Island Borough (russian: Остров Кадьяк) is a borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2020 census, the population was 13,101, down from 13,592 in 2010. The borough seat is Kodiak. Geography The borough has a total ar ...

, Aleutians East Borough, Lake and Peninsula Borough,

Bristol Bay Borough Bristol Bay Borough is a borough of the U.S. state of Alaska on Bristol Bay. As of the 2020 census the borough population was 844, down from 997 in 2010, the second-least populated borough in Alaska. The borough seat is Naknek. There are no in ...

, and the Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area.

Early and personal life

Edgmon was born and raised in

Dillingham, Alaska Dillingham ( esu, Curyung; russian: Диллингхем ), 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 ...

, 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 The Alaska Native Regional Corporations were established in 1971 when the United States Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) which settled land and financial claims made by the Alaska Natives and provided for the establi ...

for the communities of Dillingham, Ekuk, and Portage Creek. Edgmon's birth certificate identified him as three-sixteenths

Aleut The Aleuts ( ; russian: Алеуты, Aleuty) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleut people and the islands are politically divided between the U ...

, and Edgmon was raised in a household that spoke

Yup'ik The Yup'ik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Central Yup'ik, Alaskan Yup'ik ( own name ''Yup'ik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an I ...

. 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 The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna College, and Princ ...

Legislative career

Bryce Edgmon challenged incumbent

Carl Moses Carl Eugene Moses (July 16, 1929 – April 30, 2014) was an American businessman from Unalaska, Alaska who served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973 as both a Republican and Democrat, and was elected again to the House in 19 ...

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, 2 Independents and 3 moderate Republicans decided to caucus with the Democrats, elevating him to Speaker. He is the first

Alaskan Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a number ...

in the history of the state to hold the position. In addition to his duties as Speaker, Edgmon is 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.

Early and personal life

Legislative career

See also

References

External links