Bill Sheffield

William Jennings Sheffield Jr. (born June 26, 1928) is 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]

Bill Sheffield
5th Governor of Alaska
In office
December 6, 1982 – December 1, 1986
LieutenantSteve McAlpine
Preceded byJay Hammond
Succeeded bySteve Cowper
Personal details
Born
William Jennings Sheffield

(1928-06-26) June 26, 1928
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationDeVry University
Signature

Political career

While governor, Sheffield pushed an unpopular bill through the state legislature to consolidate Alaska's time zones. Prior to the passage of this 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).[2] Initially, this was poorly received; those in the panhandle lost their sense of unity with the west coast of the United States, and those in the heartland of the state were placed, in effect, in a perpetual daylight saving time. More than twenty years later, the state legislature was still debating the issue, with some members wanting to return the panhandle and capital to Seattle time, and with others claiming that Sheffield broke his promise to revisit the change after a one-year trial period.[3]

After leaving the position of Governor, Sheffield served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Alaska Railroad from 1985 to 1997. In 1997 he was promoted to President and CEO of the railroad, where he served until 2001.[4] As of 2008, he remains on the railroad's Board of Directors as Vice Chairman.[5]

References
  1. Richard Mauer (10 July 1985). "Alaska's governor may face impeachment for lease award". The Christian Science Monitor.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20080517033156/http://library.state.ak.us/is/FAQ/FARQtimezone.html
  3. http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_single_minute.asp?session=24&beg_line=00493&end_line=00942&time=0935&date=20050423&comm=STA&house=H
  4. "Alaska Railroad - History". Alaska Railroad. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  5. "Press Kit" (PDF). Alaska Railroad. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2008-02-28.

Authored book
  • Bill Sheffield: a memoir, from the great depression to the Alaska governor's mansion and beyond. 2018. ISBN 978-1-57833-698-2.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Chancy Croft		 Democratic nominee for Governor of Alaska
1982		 Succeeded by
Steve Cowper
Political offices
Preceded by
Jay Hammond		 Governor of Alaska
1982–1986		 Succeeded by
Steve Cowper
Business positions
Preceded by
Robert Hatfield		 President of the Alaska Railroad
1997–2001		 Succeeded by
Patrick K. Gamble
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.