Bella Hammond

Bella Hammond
First Lady of Alaska
In role
December 2, 1974 – December 6, 1982
GovernorJay Hammond
Preceded byNeva Egan
Succeeded byMichael Margaret Stewart (1986)
Personal details
Born
Bella Gardiner

(1932-12-12)December 12, 1932
Kanakanak, Territory of Alaska
DiedFebruary 29, 2020(2020-02-29) (aged 87)
Alaska
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1952; died 2005)​
Children2

Bella Hammond (born Bella Gardiner, December 21, 1932 – February 29, 2020) was an American activist and commercial fisherman. Hammond served as the First Lady of Alaska from 1974 until 1982 during the tenure of her husband, former Governor Jay Hammond.[1][2][3][4] She was the first person of Alaska Native descent to reside in the Alaska Governor's Mansion.[4]

Hammond was a vocal opponent of the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska.[2]

  1. ^ Ruskin, Liz (2020-03-16). "Former Alaska first lady Bella Hammond dies at 87". Alaska Public Media. Archived from the original on 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  2. ^ a b Kahn, Steve (2015-05-31). "Bella Hammond: A reclusive, no-nonsense activist". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  3. ^ "Bella Hammond obituary". Anchorage Daily News. 2020-03-15. Archived from the original on 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  4. ^ a b McBride, Rhonda (2018-04-05). "Frontiers 140: Bella Hammond's Alaska". KTVA-TV. Archived from the original on 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2020-04-05.