Matthew W. Claman (born 1959) is an American politician and attorney serving as 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 ...

. Claman previously served as the acting Mayor of Anchorage after

Mark Begich Mark Peter Begich ( ; born March 30, 1962) is an American politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously ser ...

resigned from the position to serve in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Early life and education

Claman was raised in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approxi ...

. Claman moved to

Alaska 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. ...

in 1980, working as a prep cook at a mining camp. Claman returned to

to earn Juris Doctor from the

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...

. He then returned to Alaska and began to practice law.

Career

Claman is a trial and appellate attorney with Lane Powell, a regional law firm, and is past President of the

Alaska Bar Association The Alaska Bar Association is a mandatory bar association responsible for the Alaska Supreme Court and for the admission and discipline process of attorneys for the state of Alaska. Governance The association is governed by a Board of Governo ...

. Claman served on the Anchorage Assembly beginning in 2007 and became its chair in 2008. He became the Acting Mayor of Anchorage in 2009 when then-Mayor Mark Begich was elected Alaska's United States Senator in the 2008 general election. As Acting Mayor during 2008 financial crisis, he led efforts to reduce the municipal budget by $20 million, approximately 5%, and negotiated concessions to achieve a balanced budget. Claman was elected to the

in 2014, and joined the Democratic minority. During his first term, he sat on the Judiciary Committee, the Transportation Committee, and the Energy Committee. He is a strong advocate for a responsible action plan to address Alaska's financial challenges. In 2016, Claman was re-elected to the State House. Following the election, he joined the Alaska House Majority Coalition of 22 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are committed to working together to put Alaska first. His peers selected him to chair the House Judiciary Committee, where he previously served as a committee member. He is also the Vice Chair of the Rules Committee and a member of the Legislative Council, Energy Committee, Transportation Committee, and Criminal Justice Commission. Claman has introduced legislation for a statewide vote to amend the Constitution of Alaska and limit the session to 90 days.

Personal life

Claman is married to Lisa Rieger, who works for Cook Inlet Tribal Council, one of Alaska's most successful non-profit corporations. Matt and Lisa have two adult children. Claman is a licensed

Emergency Medical Technician An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics a ...

(EMT) and professional wilderness guide.

References

1959 births Alaska lawyers Anchorage Assembly members Colorado College alumni Date of birth missing (living people) Living people Mayors of Anchorage, Alaska Democratic Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives Place of birth missing (living people) University of Texas School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians {{Alaska-mayor-stub