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John Bruce "Jack" Coghill (September 24, 1925 – February 13, 2019) was an American politician and businessman who was the sixth
Coghill was born in Fairbanks in 1925. In his prior political career, he was best known by many for being the mayor of Nenana in the interior of Alaska for 22 years. Coghill served in the territorial and state legislatures of Alaska for a number of years. He was elected to the territorial House in 1952 and again in 1956, representing the 4th District, which encompassed the interior and portions of southwestern Alaska. After statehood, he served as a senator in the first three state legislatures. Coghill ran unopposed in 1960 and did not run for re-election in 1964.
He would be once again elected to the state Senate in 1984, and served until he resigned on December 3, 1990 to assume the post of lieutenant governor. Coghill was also elected to Alaska's constitutional convention, serving as one of the 55 Club (55 members wrote the constitution in 55 days) and his copy of the constitution hangs in Constitution Hall on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. He received an honorary doctorate from the
He married Frances Gilbert, from Fairbanks, and had six children: Patty, John Jr. (who succeeded him as a state legislator), twins Jerry and Jim, Paula, and Jeff. His father, William A. Coghill, emigrated to the United States from
Alaska's Digital Archives
– Photo of Coghill as a delegate to the constitutional convention.
Alaska's Digital Archives
– Photo of Coghill during his first state senate tenure.
Alaska's Digital Archives
– Photo of Coghill during his second state senate tenure.
– Video of interview with Coghill, 1995, as he talks about the early days of Nenana.
Jack Coghill
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Coghill, Jack 1925 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American politicians Alaska state senators Alaskan Independence Party politicians Delegates to Alaska's Constitutional Convention Lieutenant Governors of Alaska Mayors of places in Alaska Members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature Politicians from Fairbanks, Alaska People from Nenana, Alaska State political party chairs of Alaska Writers from Fairbanks, Alaska American people of Scottish descent
lieutenant governor of Alaska
The lieutenant governor of Alaska is the deputy elected official to the governor of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unlike most lieutenant governors in the U.S., the office also maintains the duties of a secretary of state, and indeed was named suc ...
from 1990 to 1994, serving under Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Walter Hickel
Walter Joseph Hickel (August 18, 1919 – May 7, 2010) 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 and as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1 ...
. Both were members of the Alaskan Independence Party
The Alaskan Independence Party (AKIP) is an Alaskan nationalist political party that advocates an in-state referendum which would include the option of Alaska becoming an independent country. The party also advocates positions similar to those ...
.
Originally elected as the Republican Party's lieutenant governor nominee in 1990, Coghill had faced serious compatibility issues with running mate Arliss Sturgulewski
Jane Arliss Sturgulewski (née Wright; September 27, 1927 – April 7, 2022) was an American businesswoman and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. In a political career in which she started appearing in the spotlight in 1975, she ...
. AIP chair Joe Vogler
Joseph E. Vogler (April 24, 1913 – ) was the founder of the Alaskan Independence Party. He was also chair or gubernatorial nominee during most of the party's existence. He was also known, originally in his adopted hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska ...
vacated his party's nominated slate of John Lindauer
John Howard Lindauer II (born November 20, 1937) is an American economist who served as chancellor for the University of Alaska Anchorage from 1976 to 1978 then was Dean of the School of Business and Public Affairs. He was the Republican Party can ...
and Jerry Ward
Jerry Ward (born July 19, 1948) is an Americans, American politician and businessman.
Early life
An Alaska Native born in Anchorage, Alaska, Ward served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War and was in the Navy Seabees. Ward was in the ...
and replaced them with Wally Hickel
Walter Joseph Hickel (August 18, 1919 – May 7, 2010) 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 and as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1 ...
and Coghill. While Hickel turned his back on the AIP and their platform almost immediately after taking office, Coghill remained loyal to the party, even becoming their gubernatorial nominee in 1994. Prior to these events, he was well known in Alaskan political circles as "Mr. Republican."
Career
Coghill was born in Fairbanks in 1925. In his prior political career, he was best known by many for being the mayor of Nenana in the interior of Alaska for 22 years. Coghill served in the territorial and state legislatures of Alaska for a number of years. He was elected to the territorial House in 1952 and again in 1956, representing the 4th District, which encompassed the interior and portions of southwestern Alaska. After statehood, he served as a senator in the first three state legislatures. Coghill ran unopposed in 1960 and did not run for re-election in 1964.
He would be once again elected to the state Senate in 1984, and served until he resigned on December 3, 1990 to assume the post of lieutenant governor. Coghill was also elected to Alaska's constitutional convention, serving as one of the 55 Club (55 members wrote the constitution in 55 days) and his copy of the constitution hangs in Constitution Hall on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for cla ...
in 2004.
Personal life
He married Frances Gilbert, from Fairbanks, and had six children: Patty, John Jr. (who succeeded him as a state legislator), twins Jerry and Jim, Paula, and Jeff. His father, William A. Coghill, emigrated to the United States from Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and chose to come straight to Alaska. He was a pioneer who hiked to the Interior from Valdez, worked as a printer for what is now the ''Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
The '' Fairbanks Daily News-Miner'' is a morning daily newspaper serving the city of Fairbanks, Alaska, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Denali Borough, and the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the farthest north ...
'', and then opened a trading post in Nenana. The Coghill General Store is still in operation and owned by the family.
Coghill had two older brothers, William F. (deceased, Col. U.S. Army Ret. and former CFO of the Alaska Railroad
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
) and Robert A. Sr. (deceased, managed Coghill's Store after the death of William A.), who stayed in Alaska their entire lives. He published his autobiography, "Growing up in Alaska" in 2009 describing his personal and political life in the 49th state, as one of its last surviving state constitution signatories. Coghill died on February 13, 2019, at the age of 93.
References
External links
Alaska's Digital Archives
– Photo of Coghill as a delegate to the constitutional convention.
Alaska's Digital Archives
– Photo of Coghill during his first state senate tenure.
Alaska's Digital Archives
– Photo of Coghill during his second state senate tenure.
– Video of interview with Coghill, 1995, as he talks about the early days of Nenana.
Jack Coghill
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Coghill, Jack 1925 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American politicians Alaska state senators Alaskan Independence Party politicians Delegates to Alaska's Constitutional Convention Lieutenant Governors of Alaska Mayors of places in Alaska Members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature Politicians from Fairbanks, Alaska People from Nenana, Alaska State political party chairs of Alaska Writers from Fairbanks, Alaska American people of Scottish descent