Governor Tony Knowles Succeeded by Ernest Polley Party Democratic Party Preceded by Bill Overstreet Role American Politician | Succeeded by Loren Leman Name Fran Ulmer Preceded by Jack Coghill Political party Democratic | |
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Born February 1, 1947 (age 77)
Madison, Wisconsin ( 1947-02-01 ) Education University of Wisconsin Law School, University of Wisconsin-Madison | ||
Fran ulmer interview anchorage ak raw footage
Frances Ann "Fran" Ulmer (born February 1, 1947) is an American administrator and Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. She served as the seventh Lieutenant Governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002 under governor Tony Knowles, becoming the first female elected to statewide office in Alaska. She later served as the chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Contents
- Fran ulmer interview anchorage ak raw footage
- 2015 ocean leadership public policy forum hon fran ulmer
- Early life
- Alaska politics
- Alaska gubernatorial election 2002
- Post electoral career
- References
2015 ocean leadership public policy forum hon fran ulmer
Early life
Frances Ann "Fran" Ulmer was born in Madison, Wisconsin and grew up in Horicon, Wisconsin. Her parents owned the only funeral home in the area. Her education included a bachelor's degree with a double major in economics and political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a juris doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School. In 1977, she married attorney Bill Council with whom she would have two children. They stayed married until his death in 2013.
Alaska politics
Ulmer first began working in Alaska in 1973 as a staffer for Representative Helen Beirne during hearings about health care delivery in Kotzebue. Ulmer worked for Jay Hammond, the Republican governor of Alaska from 1975 through 1981. She served as mayor of Juneau from 1983 to 1985 and was in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1987 to 1994 as a Democrat. From 1993 to 1994 she served as the house minority leader. In 1994 she won the open primary for the nomination for lieutenant governor. She was elected to two four-year terms on the Democratic ticket, along with Governor Tony Knowles.
Alaska gubernatorial election, 2002
In 2002, she won the nomination of the Democratic party for the office of governor. She lost the election to the Republican candidate, U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski.
Post electoral career
In 2004, she accepted a teaching job at the University of Alaska. In March 2007, University of Alaska system President Mark R. Hamilton appointed Ulmer interim chancellor for the University of Alaska Anchorage. In April 2008, she accepted the position of chancellor on a permanent basis. As chancellor, she was responsible for governing UAA and its eight satellite facilities in Southcentral Alaska. On January 22, 2010, Ulmer announced her intent to resign from the Chancellor's position at the University of Alaska Anchorage effective 2011.
In June 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Ulmer to the seven-member National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The commission was charged with investigating the causes of the explosion and oil spill, and recommending changes to prevent future disasters. Ulmer served on this commission until June 2011.
In July 2014, Ulmer was appointed a special advisor to John Kerry, the Secretary of State on arctic issues. She endorsed the building of more icebreakers to allow the United States Coast Guard to better research the arctic.