Alaska Congressman Don Young Dies On Alaska Airlines Flight
Don Young, 88, the long-serving Congressman representing Alaska’s lone seat in the House of Representatives, died on Friday after losing consciousness on an Alaska Airlines flight.
Young was traveling to from Los Angeles to Seattle when he lost consciousness onboard. His wife, a nurse, and others onboard were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead upon landing in Seattle according to his long-time aide, Jack Ferguson.
Breaking news: Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young has died, according to former aides https://t.co/NkuQ9pkCt4
— Anchorage Daily News (@adndotcom) March 19, 2022
Young was the longest serving current member of Congress, having won 25 consecutive terms representing Alaska’s at-large district.
Tomorrow is C-SPAN's 43rd anniversary.
Rep. Don Young was the last member in office who was there on C-SPAN's day one (March 19, 1979).
RIP. pic.twitter.com/72uELt3LfD
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 19, 2022
He was traveling back to Alaska to participate in a number of fundraisers ahead of November’s midterm election, where he planned to seek re-election.
On this day in 1973, Alaskans put their trust in me to be their sole voice in the U.S. House. We have accomplished big things together & and there are still many victories to come. Serving as Congressman for ALL Alaska is the honor of a lifetime. God Bless the Last Frontier! pic.twitter.com/UM7K9T3nrF
— Rep. Don Young (@repdonyoung) March 6, 2022
Young once pulled a 10-inch knife on former Speaker of the House John Boehner after an augment over pork spending (Boehner later served as the best man at his wedding). He once told a Democratic challenger that the last person to touch him “ended up on the ground dead,”
If there was one thing you could count on handicapping House races, it was Don Young running for reelection. But the craziest stat is that over five decades he came within single digits of losing eight times (by my count) but no one could ever beat him.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 19, 2022
RIP Donald Edwin Young (June 9, 1933 – March 18, 2022)