Tales of Alaska's Bush Rat Governor

Tales of Alaska's Bush Rat Governor by Jay Hammond. Published by Epicenter Press, Fairbanks, AK, 1994. 1st Edition. Hardbound w/Paper DJ. Size 8vo. Condition: Fine in Good DJ. ISBN 0945397178. LCCN 93-49357. The autobiography of Jay Hammond, wilderness guide and reluctant politician. A Yankee minister's non-conformist son, after serving as a Marine fighter pilot in the South Pacific during WWII, flees the demands of civilization for a life of solitary self-sufficiency in Alaska's wilderness - only to become the nation's most unlikely and perhaps most innovative governor from 1974 to 1982 during the nation's oil crisis. This is an extraordinary story of a man in love with his adopted land and grateful for the life it provides. In nearly half a century, Jay Hammond has stepped lightly on the land, hardly leaving a permanent footprint - except for the log cabin homestead he built on the shore of remote Lake Clark, far from the nearest road or neighbor. Yet, the unique Permanent Fund he championed as governor, with its annual dividends, has helped send thousands of young people to college, brought a share of the oil wealth to all Alaskans, and changed his state forever. Illustrated with black and white photographs. 340 Pgs. Description text copyright 2005 www.BooksForComfort.com. Item ID 10052.