Thomas H. Wagoner (born September 19, 1942) is an American politician and businessman who served in 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 2003 until 2013.

Biography

Wagoner was born in 1942 in

Pylesville, Maryland Pylesville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 693 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area.The town was named after Nathan Pyle ...

. He graduated with a BA in technical design from

Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington. It also offers programs at a campus in EWU Spokane at the Riverpoint Campus and other campus locations throughout the state. Founded in 1882, the university is ...

in 1966, and with a BA in education from there in 1969, later becoming a teacher in

Kenai, Alaska Kenai (, ) ( Dena'ina: ; russian: Кенай, ''Kenay'') is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is one hundred and fifty-eight miles by road southwest from Anchorage. The population was 7,424 as of the 2020 cen ...

. He later graduated with an MA from 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 ...

in 1980. Wagoner has owned Wagoner Enterprises since 1977, Wagoner Rental Properties since 1988, and Cook Inlet Stone Products since 1992. He formerly owned Wagoner's Seamless Flooring from 1967 until 1968; Wagoner's Flooring from 1971 until 1975; and the Peninsula Flooring Center from 1986 until 1993. Wagoner served on the Kenai Harbor Committee from 1978 until 1980, on the Kenai City Council from 1980 until 1983, and as Mayor of Kenai from 1983 until 1986. He later served on the Alaska Post Secondary Committee from 1992 until 1994. Wagoner unsuccessfully ran for 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 ...

in 1986, losing to incumbent Democrat

Mike Navarre Mike Navarre (born June 9, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who formerly served as mayor of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula Borough and as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives. Biography Mike Navarre was born on June 9, 1956, ...

Alaska Senate

In 2002, Wagoner, a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, ran for the

from District Q as a member of the Republican Moderate Party. It was initially a four-way race between him, Democrat Pat Hawkins, Green Party candidate Thomas Stroman, and incumbent Republican

Jerry Ward Jerry Ward (born July 19, 1948) is an 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 real estat ...

; however Hawkins dropped out shortly before the election and endorsed Wagoner in an effort to unseat Ward. Wagoner was also endorsed by state Senator John Torgerson. He won the election by a 1-point margin over Ward, but re-registered as a Republican the day after the election. Wagoner was challenged by Ward in the 2004 Republican primary, but he won 47%–37%, with Scott D. Hamann taking 16%. He easily won the general election over independent candidate Robert E. Merchant, taking 77% of the vote. Wagoner won the 2008 Republican primary over Jim Kauffman, and the general election over Democrat Nels Anderson. In 2012, he was

redistricted Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each decennial census. The U.S. Constitution in Ar ...

to District O and was defeated in the primary by

Peter Micciche Peter A. Micciche ( ; born December 17, 1961, in Valley Stream, New York) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Alaska Senate since January 15, 2013, representing District O. Micciche was previously the mayor of Soldotna, Alas ...

, 59%–41%.

Personal life

Wagoner and his wife, Dorothy, have 2 children: Denise and Dawn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagoner, Thomas 1942 births Living people Eastern Washington University alumni University of Alaska Anchorage alumni Republican Party Alaska state senators Alaska city council members Mayors of places in Alaska Republican Moderate Party of Alaska politicians Politicians from Harford County, Maryland People from Kenai, Alaska Businesspeople from Alaska 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians