Previous Governors of Alaska

Michael James Dunleavy is an American politician and educator serving since 2018 as the 12th governor of Alaska. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2013 to 2018 as a member of the Alaska Senate. He defeated former U.S. senator Mark Begich in the 2018 gubernatorial election after incumbent governor Bill Walker dropped out of the race, and was reelected in 2022.

William Martin Walker is an American attorney and politician who served as the 11th governor of Alaska, from 2014 to 2018. He was the second Alaska-born governor, after William A. Egan.

Sean Randall Parnell is an American attorney and politician who was the tenth governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014. He succeeded Sarah Palin in July 2009 and was elected to a full term as governor in 2010. In 2014, he narrowly lost his bid for re-election and returned to work in the private sector. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee with U.S. senator John McCain.

Frank Hughes Murkowski is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States senator representing Alaska from 1981 to 2002 and as the eighth governor of Alaska from 2002 to 2006.

Anthony Carroll Knowles is an American politician and businessman who served as the seventh governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002. Term limited from seeking a third consecutive term as governor in 2002, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2004 and again for governor in 2006. In September 2008, Knowles became president of the National Energy Policy Institute, a non-profit energy policy organization funded by billionaire George Kaiser's family foundation, and located at the University of Tulsa. As of 2026, Knowles is the most recent Governor of Alaska from the Democratic Party.

Walter Joseph Hickel was an American businessman, real estate developer, and politician who served as the second governor of Alaska from 1966 to 1969 and 1990 to 1994, as well as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1969 to 1970. He worked as a construction worker and eventually became a construction company operator during Alaska's territorial days. Following World War II, Hickel became heavily involved with real estate development, building residential subdivisions, shopping centers and hotels. Hickel entered politics in the 1950s during Alaska's battle for statehood and remained politically active for the rest of his life.

Stephen Cambreleng Cowper is an American Democratic politician who was the sixth governor of Alaska from 1986 to 1990. He was governor during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

William Jennings Sheffield Jr. was an American Democratic politician who was the fifth governor of Alaska from 1982 to 1986. Sheffield's term in the governor's mansion was marked by controversy including attempts to have him impeached.

Jay Sterner Hammond was an American politician of the Republican Party, who served as the fourth governor of Alaska from 1974 to 1982. Hammond was born in Troy, New York and served as a Marine Corps fighter pilot in World War II with the Black Sheep Squadron. In 1946, he moved to Alaska where he worked as a bush pilot. Hammond served as a state representative from 1959 to 1965 and as a state senator from 1967 to 1973. From 1972 until 1974 he was the mayor of the Bristol Bay Borough. Then, in 1974, he was elected governor of Alaska.