“Prudhoe Bay Governor” Dies at the age of 94, Flags to Fly at Half-Staff Through Sunday
(Juneau, Alaska) – Alaska Governor Michael J. Dunleavy and First Lady Rose Dunleavy wish to express their condolences to the family of former Alaska Governor Keith Miller. Miller, Alaska’s third Governor, passed away last Saturday at the age of 94 in Anchorage.
“While Governor Miller’s time in office was brief, the “Prudhoe Bay Governor” as he became widely known, successfully managed the historic $900 million-dollar Prudhoe Bay lease sale that led to the construction of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline and the modernization of Alaska’s economy,” said Governor Dunleavy. “That’s a remarkable legacy and I ask all Alaskans to remember that significant contribution Governor Miller made to our great state.”
Keith Miller was born in 1925 in Seattle and grew up in Bothell, Washington. As a young man, he always dreamed of living in Alaska and after serving his country in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he took the first opportunity he could to come the Last Frontier. Miller worked on a gold dredge in Fairbanks and tried his hand at farming before finding his true calling in politics.
In 1962, he was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives for one term. A few years later, he became Walter Hickel’s running mate in their winning 1966 gubernatorial campaign. Miller was elevated to Governor in January 1969 when Hickel accepted the position of Secretary of the Interior in the Nixon Administration. After leaving the Governor’s office in 1970, Miller was elected to a four-year term to the Alaska Senate in 1972. He also held a seat on the Alaska Transportation Commission for eight years and served as its chairman.
Miller leaves behind a large extended family in Alaska and Washington and many thousands of Alaskans who are grateful for his service and commitment to Alaska.
Governor Dunleavy ordered Alaska state flags to fly at half-staff starting Thursday, March 7 through Sunday, March 10 to honor the memory of Keith Miller.
