Gov. Jay S. Hammond

About

JAY S. HAMMOND was born in Troy, New York, in 1922. He served in the U.S. Navy in 1942 and as a marine fighter pilot in World War II. He came to Alaska in 1946 and graduated from the University of Alaska in 1948. From 1946 to 1956, he was, at various times, a bush pilot, master trapper and guide, and a pilot agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1959 to 1965 and as manager of Bristol Bay Borough from 1965 to 1967. Elected to the Alaska Senate in 1967, he served until 1972 as majority leader, chair of the Rules and Resources committee and president of the Senate. From 1972 to 1974, Hammond was mayor of Bristol Bay Borough. He was elected governor in 1974 and reelected in 1978 In served on the Alaska Humanities Forum, International North Pacific Fisheries Convention Advisory Committee, Alaska Land Use Council, Alaska Airmen’s Association, Inc., Veterans of Foreign Wars, and National Rifle Association. He hosted a T.V. series “Jay Hammond’s Alaska” from 1985-1992. He was awarded Alaskan of the Year in 1994 and the Medal of Merit from the University of Alaska. His autobiography is called “Tales of Alaska’s Bush Rat Governor.”