Johnny Ellis (March 13, 1960 – February 9, 2022) was an American politician who served as a member of the

Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or reje ...

from 1992 to 2017. He was previously a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1986 through 1992.

Early life and education

Ellis was born in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

, and moved to

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...

, in 1975. Ellis was an Eagle Scout. After graduating from Bartlett High School (Anchorage, Alaska) in 1978, he attended the University of Alaska Anchorage for one year before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

in 1982.

Career

Ellis served as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993. He was then elected to the

, representing the H district from 1993 to 2003. Ellis represented the L district from 2003 to 2013 and the I district from 2013 to 2017. From 2009 to 2011, Ellis served as majority leader of the Senate. Outside of politics, Ellis was a commissioner of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and operated several small businesses.

Personal life and death

In 2016, Ellis spoke publicly about his health issues, including battles with

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, ...

, and

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

. He also came out as gay. Ellis died on February 9, 2022, at the age of 61.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Johnny 1960 births 2022 deaths 21st-century members of the Alaska Legislature Democratic Party Alaska state senators Businesspeople from Anchorage, Alaska American gay politicians LGBTQ people from Missouri LGBTQ state legislators in Alaska Democratic Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives Politicians from Anchorage, Alaska Politicians from Springfield, Missouri University of Alaska Anchorage alumni Claremont McKenna College alumni 20th-century members of the Alaska Legislature