Walter Ray Furnace (born December 31, 1943) is an American politician and businessman.

Background

Furnace was born in

Ennis, Texas Ennis () is a city in eastern Ellis County, Texas. It is on the edge of the blackland prairie region of Texas. The population is 20,159 according to the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 21,210 in 2021. Ennis is home to the annual Nat ...

and graduated from the George Carter High School. He served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. He settled in

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 ...

and received his bachelor's in business administration from

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 1972. He also went to the Gambell Street Business School and the Western CUNA Management School. Furnace was involved in the banking business in Anchorage. Furnace served on the Anchorage School Board and was president of the school board. He was a

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 ...

. Furnace served in 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 1982 to 1990.

References

1943 births Living people African-American bankers American bankers African-American state legislators in Alaska Businesspeople from Anchorage, Alaska Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives Military personnel from Texas People from Ennis, Texas Politicians from Anchorage, Alaska School board members in Alaska University of Alaska Anchorage alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people {{Alaska-politician-stub