By Alaska Native News on Comments Off on This Day in Alaska History-March 6th, 1973
Don Young as he appeared at the time he assumed his seat in the U.S. House.
On March 6th, 1973, The man who would serve longer than anyone else in the House of Representatives, Don Young won the special election that sparked 49 years seated in the U. S. Legislature. He was re-elected 24 times.
The March 1973 special election had to be held as the winner, Nick Begich, died before the election when the aircraft he was traveling on disappeared bound for Juneau from Anchorage on October 26th, 1972.
Young’s career as a politician began much sooner than 1973. Soon after his discharge from the Army, he would move to Fort Yukon where he would become mayor in 1964. He would win a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives two years later before winning a seat in the State Senate in 1970.
Representative Young would become the last member of Congress to have been serving at the time of Nixon’s presidency.
Young passed away on March 18th, 2022 at the age of 88.
