Bill Sheffield
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Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Bill Sheffield | |
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| 5th Governor of Alaska | |
| In office Template:En dash range | |
| Lieutenant | Steve McAlpine |
| Preceded by | Jay Hammond |
| Succeeded by | Steve Cowper |
| 3rd CEO and President of the Alaska Railroad | |
| In office Template:En dash range | |
| Preceded by | Robert Hatfield Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Patrick K. Gamble |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Jennings Sheffield Jr. Script error: No such module "person date". Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: No such module "person date". Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | DeVry University |
| Signature | File:Bill Sheffield signature.svg |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| Branch/service | File:Flag of the United States Army.svg United States Army |
Years of service | 1946-1949 |
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William Jennings Sheffield Jr. (June 26, 1928 – November 4, 2022) was an American Democratic politician who was the fifth governor of Alaska from 1982 to 1986. Sheffield's term in the governor's mansion was marked by controversy including attempts to have him impeached.[1]
Background
Sheffield was born in Spokane, Washington.[2] He served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1949 and went to DeForest Training School in Lisle, Illinois west of Chicago, which has changed its name to DeVry University.[2] Sheffield moved to Alaska in 1953 to sell and service home appliances for Sears.[2] He arrived by steamship in Seward, Alaska and took a train to Anchorage. He joined the local chamber of commerce group; his participation enabled him to overcome a severe stutter.[2] Sheffield later founded a hospitality business, Sheffield Enterprises which expanded to own and operate 19 Sheffield House hotels across Alaska and in Whitehorse, Yukon.[2] He sold the business to Holland America Line in 1987.[2]
In addition to his business career, Sheffield was involved in politics and government as a Democrat, and was a delegate to numerous local, state, and national party conventions.[3] He served on the Anchorage Planning Commission from 1960 to 1963, and the Anchorage Charter Commission in 1976.[3] In addition, he was the chair of the state parole board and the University of Alaska Foundation Board.[3] He died at his Anchorage home on November 4, 2022. He was 94.[2][4]
Governorship
While governor, Sheffield pushed an unpopular bill through the Alaska state legislature to consolidate the state's time zones. Prior to the passage of the bill, Alaska was spread over four time zones (Pacific, Yukon, Alaska-Hawaii, and Bering). Sheffield's bill placed virtually the entire state (with the sole exception of the Aleutians, starting just west of Dutch Harbor) into the Yukon Time Zone (which was then renamed the Alaska Time Zone).[5] Initially, this was poorly received; those in the panhandle lost their sense of unity with the west coast of the U.S., and those in the heartland of the state were placed, in effect, in a perpetual daylight saving time. More than 20 years later, the state legislature was still debating the issue, with some members wanting to return the panhandle and capital to Seattle time. Others claimed that Sheffield broke his promise to revisit the change after a one-year trial period.[6]
Impeachment inquiry
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As governor, Sheffield was brought before a grand jury investigating a contract which had been awarded by the state amid allegations of favoritism and lack of due process in the awarding process. He was not indicted. The grand jury report urged the impeachment of Sheffield. The report was leaked to the public after an anonymous source alerted the members of the news media that a waste receptacle in the court building in which grand jury deliberations had been held contained a copy of the report. After the report was leaked, deliberations about an impeachment began. An impeachment inquiry was conducted to determine whether the Alaska Senate would impeach. An impeachment would have led to an impeachment trial in the Alaska House of Representatives. By a 3–2 vote, the committee running the inquiry into Sheffield voted to send the Senate a report concluding that there was insufficient evidence against Sheffield to warrant an impeachment. Instead of impeachment, the Senate opted to pass a resolution condemning Sheffield's gubernatorial administration for favoritism.[7]
Later career
After leaving the position of governor, Sheffield served as chairman of the board of directors for the Alaska Railroad from 1985 to 1997. In 1997, he was promoted to president and CEO of the railroad, where he served until 2001.[8] By 2008, he was vice chairman of the railroad's Board of Directors.[9]
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Richard Mauer (10 July 1985). "Alaska's governor may face impeachment for lease award". The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ a b c d e f g Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sean Maguire (2022-11-04). "Former Alaska Gov. Bill Sheffield dies at 94". adn.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Raimo, John (1985). Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1978-1983. Westport, CT: Meckler Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-9304-6662-6 – via Google Books.
- ^ National Governors Association-Gov. William Jennings Sheffield
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Alaska State Library FAQ". library.state.ak.us. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Alaska State Legislature".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Haycox, Steve (November 23, 2019). "Alaskans and impeachment: The case of Gov. Bill Sheffield". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Alaska Railroad - History". Alaska Railroad. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Press Kit" (PDF). Alaska Railroad. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
Author:
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sheffield, Bill (2018). Bill Sheffield: a memoir, from the great depression to the Alaska governor's mansion and beyond. Susitna Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-57833-698-2.
External links
- Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". Media related to Script error: No such module "Commons link". at Wikimedia Commons
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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