Walter Joseph Hickel

Walter Joseph "Wally" Hickel (born August 18, 1919) is an American Republican and Alaskan Independence Party politician who served as the 2nd and 8th Governor of Alaska. His first term as governor was from 1966 to 1969, and ended with Hickel's resignation upon his confirmation in the position of United States Secretary of the Interior in the Cabinet of President Richard Nixon. He then served a complete term from 1990 to 1994. Born in Ellinwood, K... more

Walter Joseph "Wally" Hickel (born August 18, 1919) is an American Republican and Alaskan Independence Party politician who served as the 2nd and 8th Governor of Alaska. His first term as governor was from 1966 to 1969, and ended with Hickel's resignation upon his confirmation in the position of United States Secretary of the Interior in the Cabinet of President Richard Nixon. He then served a complete term from 1990 to 1994. Born in Ellinwood, Kansas, Hickel relocated to Alaska in 1940, going into the local real estate industry. By 1947, Hickel had formed a successful construction company. While some fellow Republicans in the Alaska Territory opposed statehood, Hickel joined Democrats in calls for joining the Union during the late 1940s and into the 1950s. Using his growing popularity among Alaskan Republicans and growing political clout in Washington, Hickel was able to travel to the nation's capital to engage in talks with key Republicans in both the U.S. Congress and within the... less