Alaska Congressman Don Young has died. Young was the Dean of the House, having represented the people of his state since winning a special election in 1973.
Young, 88, died Friday night at Los Angeles International Airport while on his way home.
He was running for his 26th term.
Alaska Public Media has more from an interview with lobbyist Jack Ferguson, Young’s close friend and very first chief of staff:
“I’m shocked. I’m sad. I got a pit in my stomach,” Ferguson said. “I just so wanted him to serve out those last years, you know? When the Republicans (would be) in the majority and he could… help the state in one last real strong move.”
Young’s office issued a statement saying the congressman died while returning to Alaska. His wife, Anne, who is a flight nurse, was by his side.
Young, a former teacher, trapper and riverboat captain from Fort Yukon, Alaska, was first elected to Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat in 1973 and has held it ever since. He often said he would stay in office until the Alaska voters or God decided otherwise. He was actively seeking re-election this year.
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On the House Resources Committee he was known for verbal dust-ups with environmentalists. It often infuriated him when someone from the Lower 48 testified in favor of preserving Alaska resources he wanted to see developed. He disputed the greenhouse gas theory of global warming for decades. He gradually shifted toward saying climate change was real but didn’t embrace the scientific consensus that it’s fundamentally human-caused.
Although he had a reputation as a political brawler for decades, Young encouraged civility on the House floor.
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