Rep. Don Young, Alaska Republican and dean of the House, has died
By Annie Grayer, Kristin Wilson and Shawna Mizelle, CNN
US Rep. Don Young, a Republican of Alaska and the dean of the House, has died, his office said in a statement Friday. He was 88.
“It’s with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we announce Congressman Don Young (R-AK), the Dean of the House and revered champion for Alaska, passed away today while traveling home to Alaska to be with the state and people that he loved,” the statement said. “His beloved wife Anne was by his side.”
Young was reelected in 2020 to serve his 25th term as the only representative from Alaska. He was the longest-serving member of the current Congress.
Young was first sworn into Congress after winning a special election on March 6, 1973.
The congressman’s office remembered him as a “fierce defender of Alaska,” writing that “from the Trans-Alaska pipeline, to the Ketchikan Shipyard, to the Magnuson Stevens Act, which transformed the American fishing industry, to the numerous land exchanges he fought for, Don Young’s legacy cannot be overstated.”
Young served on the House Natural Resources Committee in the current Congress.
Young noted in 2019 video that as a child he hadn’t thought about serving in elected office but then added: “I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding work. What else can a person ask for?”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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