Johnny Ellis (March 13, 1960 – February 9, 2022) was an American politician who served as a member of the

Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or rejecting gub ...

from 1992 to 2017. He was previously a member of the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people per ...

from 1986 through 1992.

Early life and education

Ellis was born in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, and moved to

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

, in 1975. Ellis was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

. After graduating from

Bartlett High School (Anchorage, Alaska) Bartlett High School is a high school in Anchorage, Alaska. It had an enrollment of 1,666 as of November 26, 2016. Construction started in 1971, and the first classes were held in 1973. The school originally housed both Bartlett High School, name ...

in 1978, he attended the

University of Alaska Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna College, and Prin ...

for one year before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

in 1982.

Career

Ellis served as a member of the

from 1987 to 1993. He was then elected to the

, representing the H district from 1993 to 2003. Ellis represented the L district from 2003 to 2013 and the I district from 2013 to 2017. From 2009 to 2011, Ellis served as majority leader of the Senate. Outside of politics, Ellis was a commissioner of the

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE, pronounced 'wit-chee') is a regional interstate agency and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Boulder, Colo., serving 16 member states and territories. WICHE's diverse programs a ...

and operated several small businesses.

Personal life and death

In 2016, Ellis spoke publicly about his health issues, including battles with

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

, and

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

. He also came out as gay. Ellis died on February 9, 2022, at the age of 61.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Johnny 1960 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party Alaska state senators Businesspeople from Anchorage, Alaska Gay politicians LGBT people from Missouri LGBT state legislators in Alaska Democratic Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives Politicians from Anchorage, Alaska Politicians from Springfield, Missouri University of Alaska Anchorage alumni Claremont McKenna College alumni