SitNews - Stories in the News - Ketchikan, Alaska

“Prudhoe Bay Governor” Dies at the age of 94, Flags to Fly at Half-Staff Through Sunday

 

March 07, 2019
Thursday PM


(SitNews) Juneau, Alaska - Alaska Governor Michael J. Dunleavy and First Lady Rose Dunleavy wish to express their condolences to the family of former Alaska Governor Keith Miller. Miller, Alaska’s third Governor, passed away last Saturday at the age of 94 in Anchorage.

jpg “Prudhoe Bay Governor” Dies at the age of 94, Flags to Fly at Half-Staff Through Sunday

Keith Miller
Photo Courtesy Alaska State Library,
Historical Collections

“While Governor Miller’s time in office was brief, the “Prudhoe Bay Governor” as he became widely known, successfully managed the historic $900 million-dollar Prudhoe Bay lease sale that led to the construction of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline and the modernization of Alaska’s economy,” said Governor Dunleavy. “That’s a remarkable legacy and I ask all Alaskans to remember that significant contribution Governor Miller made to our great state.”

Keith Miller was born in 1925 in Seattle and grew up in Bothell, Washington. As a young man, he always dreamed of living in Alaska and after serving his country in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he took the first opportunity he could to come the Last Frontier. Miller worked on a gold dredge in Fairbanks and tried his hand at farming before finding his true calling in politics. 

In 1962, he was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives for one term. A few years later, he became Walter Hickel’s running mate in their winning 1966 gubernatorial campaign. Miller was elevated to Governor in January 1969 when Hickel accepted the position of Secretary of the Interior in the Nixon Administration.     

After leaving the Governor’s office in 1970, Miller was elected to a four-year term to the Alaska Senate in 1972. He also held a seat on the Alaska Transportation Commission for eight years and served as its chairman.   

Miller leaves behind a large extended family in Alaska and Washington and many thousands of Alaskans who are grateful for his service and commitment to Alaska.

Governor Dunleavy ordered Alaska state flags to fly at half-staff starting today, Thursday, March 7 through Sunday, March 10 to honor the memory of Keith Miller.

 

 

Editing by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

 

Source of News:

Office of Gov. Governor Michael J. Dunleavy
www.gov.alaska.gov

 

Representations of fact and opinions in comments posted are solely those of the individual posters and do not represent the opinions of Sitnews.



Submit A Letter to SitNews

Contact the Editor

SitNews ©2019
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

 Articles & photographs that appear in SitNews are considered protected by copyright and may not be reprinted without written permission from and payment of any required fees to the proper freelance writers and subscription services.

E-mail your news & photos to editor@sitnews.us

Photographers choosing to submit photographs for publication to SitNews are in doing so granting their permission for publication and for archiving. SitNews does not sell photographs. All requests for purchasing a photograph will be emailed to the photographer.