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William Martin Walker (born April 16, 1951) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 11th
governor of Alaska A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
, from 2014 to 2018. He was the second Alaska-born governor, after William A. Egan. Walker was born in Fairbanks to Frances (Park) and businessman
Ed Walker Ed Walker may refer to: * Ed Walker (radio personality) (1932–2015), American radio personality * Ed Walker (American football) (1901–1972), American football player and coach of football and basketball * Ed Walker (American veteran) (1917–20 ...
; he was raised in Delta Junction and
Valdez, Alaska Valdez ( ; Alutiiq language, Alutiiq: ) is a city in the Chugach Census Area, Alaska, Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. In 2020, the population of Valdez was 3,985, up slightly from 3,976 in 2010. It is the List of cities in Alask ...
. He obtained a J.D. degree from
Seattle University Seattle University (Seattle U or SU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and grad ...
and served as
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
,
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
or, and city attorney for Valdez, and as
general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
for the Alaska Gasline Port Authority. Walker ran for governor of Alaska in the Republican Party primary election in 2010, losing to incumbent
Sean Parnell Sean Randall Parnell (born November 19, 1962) is an American attorney and politician who was the tenth governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014.
. Walker ran as an independent in the 2014 election, merging his campaign with that of Democratic nominee
Byron Mallott Byron Ivar Mallott (April 6, 1943 – May 8, 2020) was an American politician, elder, tribal activist, and business executive from the state of Alaska. Mallott was an Alaska Native leader of Tlingit heritage and the leader of the Kwaash Ké ...
, who became Walker's running mate. Both candidates' prior respective running mates withdrew from the race and the Walker/Mallott ticket defeated Parnell and his running mate, former Anchorage mayor Dan Sullivan. Walker ran for reelection in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, but facing low polling numbers and Lieutenant Governor Mallott's resignation, he dropped out of the race on October 19, 2018, and endorsed Democrat
Mark Begich Mark Peter Begich ( ; born March 30, 1962) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he ...
. Walker ran in the 2022 election as an independent, but lost to Republican incumbent Mike Dunleavy and Democratic candidate
Les Gara Leslie S. Gara (born February 6, 1963) is a Democratic former member of the Alaska House of Representatives, having represented the 23rd District from 2003 to 2019. Gara is also a former assistant attorney general and part owner of a local resta ...
.


Early life and education

Walker was born in
Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a Municipal home rule, home rule city and the county seat, borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior Alaska, interior region of Alaska and the second la ...
, and raised in the small, rural interior city of Delta Junction and the port of Valdez on
Prince William Sound Prince William Sound ( Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the ...
. He was the fourth child of Alaskan pioneers Frances (Park) and
Ed Walker Ed Walker may refer to: * Ed Walker (radio personality) (1932–2015), American radio personality * Ed Walker (American football) (1901–1972), American football player and coach of football and basketball * Ed Walker (American veteran) (1917–20 ...
. During World War II, Ed was an Alaskan Scout with Castner's Cutthroats in the
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
and Frances worked on the Alaska-Canadian Highway. During the
1964 Alaska earthquake The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaska earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 PM Alaska Standard Time, AKST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964.
, which severely damaged Valdez, the family lost most of their personal and business possessions. At the age of 12, Walker became a janitor to help his family. Walker graduated from Valdez High School in 1969. He received his B.S. in
business management Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...
from
Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adjac ...
in 1973 and his J.D. from the
University of Puget Sound School of Law Seattle University School of Law (formerly ''University of Puget Sound School of Law'') is the law school affiliated with Seattle University, located in Seattle, Washington, United States. The School is accredited by the American Bar Associatio ...
(now Seattle University School of Law) in 1983. Walker worked in his family's construction business as a carpenter, laborer, and teamster on the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is an oil transportation system spanning Alaska, including the trans-Alaska crude-oil pipeline, 12 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the Valdez Marine Terminal. TAPS is one o ...
, which helped him pay for his education.


Career

From 1977 to 1979, Walker served on the Valdez
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
. He later was elected
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Valdez, serving from 1979 through 1980. At 27, he was Valdez's youngest mayor. Walker and his wife, Donna, owned a law firm; he became a prominent oil and gas attorney. The firm represented the city of Valdez and the Alaska Gasline Port Authority. Walker "represented the city of Valdez in lawsuits that charged ilcompanies with lowballing the property tax valuation of the industry-owned Trans-Alaska pipeline system". He also attempted to build a gas pipeline in Alaska.


Governor of Alaska (2014–2018)


Elections


2010

Walker challenged
incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Sean Parnell Sean Randall Parnell (born November 19, 1962) is an American attorney and politician who was the tenth governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014.
as well as Gerald L. Heikes, Merica Hlatcu, Sam Little, and
Ralph Samuels Ralph Samuels (born December 1, 1961) is a businessman and a member of the Republican Party and candidate for Governor of Alaska,name="adn.com"/www.adn.com/news/politics/story/1046926.html that served as a state representative of the Alaska S ...
in the Republican Party
primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...
on August 24,
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. Walker finished second, with 33.95% of the vote, while Parnell won the nomination with 49.49%. The
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
was held on November 2, 2010 and Parnell defeated his Democratic opponent,
Ethan Berkowitz Ethan Avram Berkowitz (born February 4, 1962) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Alaska. From 1997 to 2007 he was the Alaska State Representative for District 26, serving as the Democratic Party Minority Leader from 199 ...
.


2014

In 2013, Walker announced his intention to run in the 2014 gubernatorial election as a Republican. Later that year, he decided to run as a
nonpartisan candidate Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...
instead, taking the advice and encouragement he had received prior to his 2010 campaign from former Alaska governor
Wally Hickel Walter Joseph Hickel (August 18, 1919 – May 7, 2010) was an American businessman, real estate developer, and politician who served as the second governor of Alaska from 1966 to 1969 and 1990 to 1994, as well as U.S. Secretary of the Interior ...
. Walker selected Craig Fleener, a former Deputy Commissioner of the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is a department within the government of Alaska. ADF&G's mission is to protect, maintain, and improve the fish, game, and aquatic plant resources of the state, and manage their use and development i ...
, to run for
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
on his ticket. He campaigned on a centrist platform, mixing traditionally conservative and liberal positions. Walker opposed the construction of the
Pebble Mine Pebble Mine is the common name of a proposed copper-gold-molybdenum mining project in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska, near Lake Iliamna and Lake Clark. It was discovered in 1987, optioned by Northern Dynasty Minerals in 2001, ex ...
and acknowledged the existence of
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
and the need to adopt energy policies to help mitigate its harmful effects, but supported increasing oil and gas pipeline capacities and new drilling for petroleum in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR, pronounced as “''ANN-warr''”) or Arctic Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States, on traditional Inupiaq, Iñupiaq and Gwichʼin, Gwich'in lands. The refuge is of ...
. He also supported gun rights, a degree of state sovereignty for Alaska, and the Medicaid expansion made possible by the
Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
. On September 2, 2014, Walker held a press conference with
Byron Mallott Byron Ivar Mallott (April 6, 1943 – May 8, 2020) was an American politician, elder, tribal activist, and business executive from the state of Alaska. Mallott was an Alaska Native leader of Tlingit heritage and the leader of the Kwaash Ké ...
, the Democratic nominee for governor, announcing that they would merge their campaigns, with Mallott replacing Fleener as Walker's running mate. Mallott's Democratic running mate, attorney and State Senator Hollis French, also stepped aside, leaving no official Democratic candidate in the election. Before their announcement the merger was met with resistance from the
Alaska Republican Party The Alaska Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Alaska, headquartered in Anchorage. It is currently the favored party in the state, controlling both of Alaska's U.S. Senate seats, the Alaska House of Representatives, and ...
, but it was ruled valid by the
Alaska Supreme Court The Alaska Supreme Court is the state supreme court for the U.S. state of Alaska. Its decisions are binding on all other Alaska state courts, and the only court its decisions may be appealed to is the Supreme Court of the United States. The Ala ...
. Walker led in polls taken weeks before the November 4 general election. Parnell was widely criticized for his support of billions in unpopular tax reductions for the
petrochemical industry file:Jampilen Petrochemical Co. 02.jpg, 300px, Jampilen Petrochemical co., Asaluyeh, Iran The petrochemical industry is concerned with the production and trade of petrochemicals. A major part is constituted by the plastics industry, plastics (poly ...
and the development of a scandal featuring five years of alleged cover-ups of rampant sexual abuse, cronyism, corruption and whistleblower suppression in the
Alaska National Guard The Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs manages military and veterans affairs for the government of Alaska. It comprises a number of subdepartments, including the Alaska National Guard, Veterans Affairs, the Division of Homeland Se ...
, for which Parnell served as Commander in Chief. Following
Election Day Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...
, the race was considered too close to call. On November 7, Walker and Mallott held a 3,165-vote lead. On November 14, after Walker and Mallott extended their lead to 4,634 votes, media outlets called the race. Two days later, Parnell conceded.


2018

Walker sought reelection in 2018. He initially ran with incumbent lieutenant governor
Byron Mallott Byron Ivar Mallott (April 6, 1943 – May 8, 2020) was an American politician, elder, tribal activist, and business executive from the state of Alaska. Mallott was an Alaska Native leader of Tlingit heritage and the leader of the Kwaash Ké ...
as his running mate, but after a revelation of inappropriate comments, Mallott resigned on October 16. He was replaced by State Health and Social Services Commissioner Valerie Davidson, who was sworn in the same day. Though Davidson replaced Mallott as Walker's running mate, Mallott remained on the ballot. On October 19, facing low polling numbers, Walker suspended his campaign and endorsed the Democratic candidate,
Mark Begich Mark Peter Begich ( ; born March 30, 1962) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he ...
. Begich lost by 7.03% to Republican nominee Mike Dunleavy. Despite his withdrawal, Walker received 2.03% of the vote.


2022

On August 17, 2021, Walker announced his candidacy in the 2022 gubernatorial election as an independent. As his running mate he named Heidi Drygas, who served as his commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development from 2014 to 2018. He lost the election to Republican incumbent Mike Dunleavy.


Tenure

Walker took the oath of office on December 1, 2014. He faced a Republican-controlled
legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...
, but the Republican majorities were not enough to override a gubernatorial
veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...
. With the Republican legislature opposed to Walker's attempts to expand
Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...
, Walker decided to use his executive authority to do so. In 2015, due to low oil prices, Alaska anticipated a $4 billion budget deficit. Budget cuts and raised taxes were proposed to reduce it. In December 2015, Walker proposed reinstating a statewide income tax as well as reducing annual payments to qualified state residents from the
Alaska Permanent Fund The Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC). It was established in Alaska in 1976 by Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska Sta ...
. His June 2016 partial veto of legislation pertaining to the APF resulted in annual payments to state residents being cut by more than half. ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' later wrote that this "deeply unpopular" move "doomed" Walker's chances of reelection. In July 2018, Walker signed into law a legislative ethics bill. The bill prevented a stronger
ballot measure A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
, which would have prohibited foreign corporations from donating to statewide campaign candidates, from appearing on the fall ballot. In September 2018, the office of Anchorage District Attorney Richard K. Allen entered into a controversial plea bargain in the case of a former FAA air traffic controller who allegedly kidnapped a native Alaskan woman, choked her until she passed out and then masturbated over her. In response to citizen outrage at the reduced sentence, Walker issued a statement saying that the sentence was insufficient and that he would propose legislation making unwanted contact with semen a
sex crime Sex and the law deals with the regulation by law of human sexual activity. Sex laws vary from one place or jurisdiction to another, and have varied over time. Unlawful sexual acts are called sex crimes. Some laws regarding sexual activity are ...
. Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott resigned on October 16, 2018, citing "inappropriate comments" that he and Walker did not detail. A new lieutenant governor, Alaska Health and Social Services Commissioner Valerie Davidson, was sworn in.


Personal life

Before becoming governor and moving to
Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...
, Walker and his wife Donna resided in
Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...
. As of 2017, the couple had two sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren. In November 2016, Walker announced that he had developed
prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...
, for which he would have routine, out-patient surgery the following month.


Electoral history


See also

*
List of mayors of Valdez, Alaska The following is a list of mayors of the city of Valdez, Alaska, United States. * John L. Steel, 1901-1903 * John Goodell, 1903-1905 * Henry Miller, 1905-1907 * Thos. Quinn, 1907-1909 * L. Archibald, 1909-1910 * F.M. Boyle, 1910-1912 * E. ...


Notes

;Footnotes


References


External links

* campaign website * * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Bill 1951 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century mayors of places in Alaska 20th-century Alaska politicians 21st-century Alaska politicians 21st-century American lawyers Alaska city council members Alaska lawyers Alaska independents Alaska Republicans Candidates in the 2010 United States elections Candidates in the 2022 United States elections City and town attorneys in the United States Democratic Party governors of Alaska Governors of Alaska Independent state governors of the United States Lawyers from Anchorage, Alaska Lawyers from Fairbanks, Alaska Lewis & Clark College alumni Janitors Mayors of Valdez, Alaska Politicians from Anchorage, Alaska Politicians from Fairbanks, Alaska Seattle University School of Law alumni