Don Young

Don Young
Official portrait, c. 2020
45th Dean of the United States House of Representatives
In office
December 5, 2017 – March 18, 2022
Preceded byJohn Conyers
Succeeded byHal Rogers
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alaska's at-large district
In office
March 6, 1973 – March 18, 2022
Preceded byNick Begich
Succeeded byMary Peltola
Committee chairmanships
Chair of the House Transportation Committee
In office
January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byBud Shuster
Succeeded byJim Oberstar
Chair of the House Resources Committee
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded byGeorge Miller
Succeeded byJames V. Hansen
Member of the Alaska Senate
from the I district
In office
January 11, 1971 – March 6, 1973
Preceded byPaul Haggland
Succeeded byGeorge Silides
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
from the 16th district
In office
January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byMulti-member district
Personal details
Born
Donald Edwin Young

(1933-06-09)June 9, 1933
Meridian, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 18, 2022(2022-03-18) (aged 88)
SeaTac, Washington, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Lu Fredson
(m. 1963; died 2009)
Anne Garland Walton
(m. 2015)
Children2
EducationYuba College
California State University, Chico (BA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1955–1957
Unit41st Tank Battalion

Donald Edwin Young (June 9, 1933 – March 18, 2022) was an American politician in Alaska. He was the longest-serving Republican in House history, having been the U.S. representative for Alaska's at-large congressional district for 49 years, from 1973 until his death in 2022.

Born and raised in California, Young moved to Alaska in 1959 after a stint in the U.S. Army. He worked various careers, including sailing and teaching, in the small city of Fort Yukon, where he was elected mayor in 1964. He entered state politics two years later, when he won a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives, and advanced to the Alaska Senate in 1970. In 1972, he ran for a seat in the House of Representatives against incumbent Democrat Nick Begich. Weeks before the election, Begich disappeared and was presumed dead in a plane crash, though he still (likely posthumously) won the vote. Young ran in a special election to fill the vacant post the following year, defeating Democrat Emil Notti. He was re-elected to the seat 24 times.

In Congress, Young chaired the House Resources Committee from 1995 to 2001 and the House Transportation Committee from 2001 to 2007. The Associated Press said that he was known for his "brusque" and "off-color" demeanor, and The New York Times described him as having "cultivated the image of a rugged frontiersman"; his prominent personality, long tenure, and position as his state's sole House member led to him occasionally being dubbed "Alaska's third senator".[1][2]

Young became the 45th dean of the United States House of Representatives in December 2017, after John Conyers resigned. He was the first Republican in that office in more than 84 years.

  1. ^ Bohrer, Becky (March 19, 2022). "Rep. Don Young, longtime Alaska congressman, dies at 88". Associated Press. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  2. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (March 18, 2022). "Don Young, Alaska Congressman and Dean of the House, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2022.