Gary Allan Knopp (July 14, 1957 – July 31, 2020) was an American politician who 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 the 30th district as a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

Early life

Knopp was born on July 14, 1957 in

Whitefish, Montana Whitefish ( Salish: epɫx̣ʷy̓u, "has whitefish") is a town in Flathead County, Montana, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, there were 7,751 people in the town. History Long before the first Europeans came to Whitefish ...

. In 1979, he moved to Alaska.

Career

Knopp was elected to the

Kenai Peninsula Borough Kenai Peninsula Borough is a borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,799, up from 55,400 in 2010. The borough seat is Soldotna, the largest city is Kenai, and the most populated community is the c ...

Assembly in Alaska in 2006, serving until 2012 (including two years as assembly president), when he retired in order to unsuccessfully run for the state house. Knopp won a third term on the Assembly in 2015, and successfully ran for the House in 2016.

Alaska House of Representatives

Knopp resigned from the Assembly on January 3, 2017, and was sworn in as a representative later that month. In December 2018, Knopp left the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives to push for a bipartisan coalition. On May 17, 2019, he was censured by the Alaska Republican Party State Central Committee due to his role in forming a majority coalition in the House of Representatives with members of the

Alaska Democratic Party The Alaska Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in Alaska, headquartered in Anchorage. It is one of two major parties in Alaska, alongside the Alaska Republican Party. The Democratic Party holds Alaska's at-large congressio ...

. During the 30th session of the Alaska House of Representatives, from 2017 to 2019, Knopp served on the Administration, University of Alaska, Commerce, Community and Economic Development, Labor and Workforce Development, Revenue, State Affairs, Arctic Policy, Economic Development and Tourism, and Labor and Commerce committees. During the 31st session, from 2019 to 2020, he served as the chairman of the Natural Resources, and Labor and Workforce Development committees and as a member on the Finance committee.

Personal life

Knopp was married to Helen. He died on July 31, 2020, when his private

Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser The Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser is an American three-seat, high wing, single-engine conventional landing gear-equipped light aircraft that was produced by Piper Aircraft between 1946-48. The PA-12 was an upgraded and redesignated Piper J-5.Plane ...

aircraft collided with a deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver owned by High Adventure Air Charter, near

Soldotna, Alaska Soldotna is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,342, up from 4,163 in 2010. It is the seat of the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Soldotna is located in the Southcentral portion ...

. The other plane's six occupants also died in the crash. A

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

(NTSB) investigation indicated that Knopp had hit the Beaver at the aft end of the fuselage, that he had taken off shortly after the Beaver, that his aircraft was not properly registered, and that Knopp had been denied a medical certificate in 2012 due to vision problems.NTSB: Lawmaker in plane crash flew despite vision problems
''

Peninsula Clarion The ''Peninsula Clarion'' is a regional newspaper published in Kenai, Alaska that serves the population of the Kenai Peninsula. They also publish the ''Peninsula Clarion Dispatch'' which is a free weekly circular released each Wednesday with loca ...

'', August 25, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

Electoral history

References

External links

Gary Knopp government website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knopp, Gary 1957 births 2020 deaths Borough assembly members in Alaska Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives People from Whitefish, Montana People from Kenai, Alaska 21st-century American politicians Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2020 Accidental deaths in Alaska Candidates in the 2012 United States elections