Terry Gardiner is an American former politician from

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Early life and education

Gardiner was born on August 12, 1950, in

Ketchikan, Alaska Ketchikan ( ; ) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough on Revillagigedo Island of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic Landmark District. With a p ...

. His parents, Herb and Helen Gardiner, moved to Ketchikan in 1947. Herb worked at Fidalgo Island Packing, later a part of

Trident Seafoods Trident Seafoods is the largest seafood company in the United States, harvesting primarily wild-caught seafood in Alaska. Trident manages a network of catcher and catcher processor vessels and processing plants across twelve coastal locations ...

, and later at a

pulp mill A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber sources into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical, or ...

. Helen was a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...

. Gardiner graduated from

Ketchikan High School Ketchikan High School, often referred to as Kayhi, is the principal high school for the Southeast Alaska community of Ketchikan and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District. Notable Alumni * Isaac Updike, professional steeplechaser * Rud ...

in 1968 and studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and history at

Western Washington State College Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

in Bellingham.

Career

Gardiner's early employment was as a

deckhand An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

, starting in 1966 on the troller Pam. In 1967–68, he worked as a gillnet deckhand for Dick Bishop. He took over the gillnetter Veto in 1969 and purchased his vessel, Connie Anne, in 1971, which he operated until 1981. His political career began with a legislative

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used to practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and g ...

in Olympia in 1971 for Representative

Gladys Kirk Gladys may refer to: * Gladys (given name), people with the given name Gladys * Gladys Bocchi Trivolli, 1965 brazilian dentist * ''Gladys'' (album), a 2013 album by Leslie Clio * ''Gladys'' (film), 1999 film written and directed by Vojtěch Jas ...

. In 1972, Gardiner worked in the Alaska Legislature for Representative Mike Miller and the House Local Government Committee. He was recognized as a liberal candidate in the 1972 elections, where he finished second in the primary and was elected to the House, alongside Oral Freeman. In 1978, he became the youngest Speaker of the House at age 28. Gardiner also served as the Chairman of the Alaska Criminal Code Commission.

References

{{Authority control 1950 births Politicians from Ketchikan, Alaska Living people 20th-century members of the Alaska Legislature Speakers of the Alaska House of Representatives