1972 GOP Convention at McKinley Park Hotel

Politics at the Park Hotel: The 1972 Alaska Republican Convention

By Erik Johnson, Denali Historian
(Written September 17, 2020)

The 1972 Alaska Republican convention was held at the McKinley Park Hotel. KTVF News reporter Larry Carpenter is pictured in front of the McKinley Park Hotel above

KTVF Collection, Alaska Film Archives, University of Alaska Fairbanks, AAF-6036

As the General Election season kicks into high gear and we get bombarded with campaign literature in our mailboxes and numerous phone calls and emails, it's worth remembering the politicking that took place inside Mount McKinley National Park in 1972. One politician, who rose to prominence at the convention, continues to be a major figure in Alaska politics.The Alaska Republicans' state convention took place at the McKinley Park Hotel in May 1972.[1]

At the convention, a State Senator from Fort Yukon named Don Young earned the backing of the Republican Party and later faced incumbent Congressman Nick Begich in the General Election. Begich, who went missing in a plane crash in October, beat Young in the November election. After Begich was pronounced dead in December, Young ran again in a special election and won the seat in March 1973. He has been Alaska's Representative in Congress ever since. He is currently the longest serving member of Congress, and the longest serving Republican Congressmen in history.[2]

This headline was featured in the May 15, 1972 edition of the Fairbanks Daily News Miner.

Fairbanks Daily News Miner

The 1972 convention lasted three days and was chaired by Jack Coghill, the longtime Nenana businessman and politician.[3] Coghill stated that the primary purpose of the convention was to elect delegates to the national Republican convention, which took place later in the summer in Miami, Florida. Several of Alaska's best-known politicians addressed the nearly 300 attendees—the speakers included Ted Stevens, who announced his intention to run for reelection to the U.S. Senate, and Wally Hickel, who President Nixon had recently removed as Secretary of the Interior.[4]

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has video footage of the event (skip forward to minute 10 of the video).[5]

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[1] The Park Hotel used to host many conferences and conventions; it burned down in September 1972.

[2] Former Representative John Dingell, Jr. holds the overall record at 59 years (1955-2015). There are still seven Democrats with longer career tenures than Don Young although he will pass two of them if re-elected in 2020.

[3] Jack Coghill of Nenana passed away in 2019 but was an important public official in Alaska's history. He was elected to Alaska's constitutional convention and helped write the state's constitution. He was a State Senator (1959-1965) and later Lieutenant Governor (1990-1994).

[4] "State Republicans Select 12 Pro Nixon Delegates," Sitka Daily Sentinel, May 15, 1972.

[5] KTVF Collection, Alaska Film Archives, University of Alaska Fairbanks, AAF-6036.