02.14.14

Murkowski Honors Former Alaska Territorial Governor Michael Stepovich

Territorial Governor Was Alaskan Icon, True Family Man

Senator Lisa Murkowski today shared her reflections on the legacy of Michael Stepovich, who passed away this morning at the age of 94:

“I am incredibly saddened to learn of the loss of Mike Stepovich, the last of Alaska’s territorial Governors. Mike played a vital role in Alaska’s admission to statehood, and for the 54 years that followed he occupied a prominent place on the public policy scene. Today we have lost another link to Alaska’s territorial history and that leaves a huge hole in my heart.

“Mike Stepovich and his family were some of our earliest and closest friends when my family moved to Fairbanks in the early ‘70s. Mike and his wife Matilda raised a large and loving family and while many Alaskans remember his role as a statesman I will always think of him first as a true family man.”