Sean Parnell

{{for|the Pennsylvania politician and Department of Defense spokesperson|Sean Parnell (Pennsylvania politician)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Sean Parnell

| image = Former Governor of Alaska Sean Parnell.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Parnell in 2014

| order = 10th Governor of Alaska

| lieutenant = Craig Campbell
Mead Treadwell

| term_start = July 26, 2009

| term_end = December 1, 2014

| predecessor = Sarah Palin

| successor = Bill Walker

| office1 = 12th Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage

| term_start1 = June 12, 2021

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 = Bruce Schultz (interim)
Cathy Sandeen

| successor1 =

| office2 = 9th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska

| governor2 = Sarah Palin

| term_start2 = December 4, 2006

| term_end2 = July 26, 2009

| predecessor2 = Loren Leman

| successor2 = Craig Campbell

| state_senate3 = Alaska

| district3 = 1st

| term_start3 = January 13, 1997

| term_end3 = January 13, 2001

| predecessor3 = Steve Rieger

| successor3 = John Cowdery

| state_house4 = Alaska

| district4 = 17th

| term_start4 = January 11, 1993

| term_end4 = January 12, 1997

| predecessor4 = Constituency established

| successor4 = John Cowdery

| birth_name = Sean Randall Parnell{{cite court |litigants=3PA-20-01089MO State of Alaska vs. Parnell, Sean Randall|court= Traffic Magistrate Judge- Palmer |date=02/27/2020 |url=https://records.courts.alaska.gov/eaccess/searchresults.page?x=KRSC74JuU*w7t-j9orMp8s0evhwcdZwrlDfppMz02zDKWErDXN-sfPxb-LjgxviRSCZkiDZLSS*XLsoaVdD8nA}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|11|19}}

| birth_place = Hanford, California, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Republican

| spouse = {{Marriage|Sandra Scebold|1987}}

| children = 2

| education = Pacific Lutheran University (BBA)
Seattle University (JD)

| signature = Sean Parnell signature.svg

}}

Sean Randall Parnell (born November 19, 1962) is an American attorney and politician who was the tenth governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014.[http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/03/palin/index.html Palin stepping down this month]. CNN, July 3, 2009.{{cite news|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/palin-to-resign-as-governor-of-alaska/?hp|title=Palin to Resign as Governor of Alaska|work=The New York Times|date=July 3, 2009|first1=Mitchell L.|last1=Blumenthal|first2=Kate|last2=Phillips}} He succeeded Sarah Palin in July 2009, and was elected governor in his own right in 2010 with 59.06% of the vote, as the largest percentage margin of any Alaska governor since the state's admission into the United States.{{cite news |url= https://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/10GENR/data/resultsOF.htm |title= State of Alaska Division of Elections 2010 General Election Results |work= State of Alaska Division of Elections |date= November 30, 2010 |access-date= August 3, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150923235212/http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/10GENR/data/resultsOF.htm |archive-date= September 23, 2015 |url-status= dead }} In 2014, he narrowly lost his bid for re-election and returned to work in the private sector.{{cite news |url= https://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/14GENR/data/results.htm |title= State of Alaska Division of Elections 2014 General Election Results |work= State of Alaska Division of Elections |date= November 25, 2014 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150923235230/http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/14GENR/data/results.htm |archive-date= September 23, 2015 }} He is a member of the Republican Party.

Born in Hanford, California, Parnell graduated from the University of Puget Sound's School of Law (now known as Seattle University School of Law). He practiced law before being elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1992 and he continued to work in private legal practice while he was a member of the Alaska House and later, the Alaska Senate. He served two terms in the Alaska House from 1993 to 1997 before he was elected to one term in the Alaska Senate from 1997 to 2001. Parnell continued his legal career in the private sector, working as an attorney and as the state government relations director for Phillips Petroleum, now known as ConocoPhillips, and an attorney at the law firm Patton Boggs.

Returning to public service, Parnell won the Republican primary race for lieutenant governor in 2006 and became Palin's running mate in her 2006 gubernatorial campaign, where the Palin and Parnell ticket defeated former Democratic governor Tony Knowles. Parnell was sworn in as lieutenant governor of Alaska in December 2006 and later assumed the governorship after Palin resigned in July 2009. Parnell was elected to a full term as governor in 2010, defeating former state representative Ethan Berkowitz in the general election. Parnell is the first unelected Alaska governor to be elected in his own right.[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130678945 Election 2010: Alaska Results – NPR 10-3-2010] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103232108/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130678945 |date=November 3, 2010 }} He was narrowly defeated for a second term in 2014 by the formally Independent "unity ticket" of Republican-turned-Independent Bill Walker and Democrat Byron Mallott. Parnell became chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage on June 12, 2021.{{Cite web|last1=Aina|first1=Mayowa|last2=Anchorage|first2=Alaska Public Media-|date=2021-05-12|title=Former Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell selected to lead University of Alaska Anchorage|url=https://www.alaskapublic.org/2021/05/12/former-alaska-gov-sean-parnell-selected-to-lead-university-of-alaska-anchorage/|access-date=2021-05-25|website=Alaska Public Media|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/news/archive/2021/05/new-uaa-chancellor-announcement.cshtml|title = Sean Parnell selected as next UAA Chancellor| date=May 12, 2021 }}

Early life and education

Parnell was born in Hanford, California, the elder of two sons of Thelma Carol (née Liebherr) and Kevin Patrick "Pat" Parnell.{{cite book|editor1-first=Peter M.|editor1-last=Metcalfe|title=Alaska Blue Book|edition=Tenth|year=1991|publisher=Alaska Department of Education, Division of State Libraries, Archives and Museums|location=Juneau|page=111|chapter=Legislative Branch}} As children, Parnell and his younger brother, Schoen (pronounced "Shane") were raised in a close-knit family. Two of his paternal great-grandparents were Norwegian.[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/celeb/seanparnell.htm Sean Parnell genealogical profile], genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com; accessed November 7, 2014.

Sean's father, Pat, was stationed at Fort Richardson, near Anchorage, Alaska, while he served in the U.S. Army during statehood years (1957–1959),{{cite web |url=http://www.parnell2014.com/about |title=Parnell 2014 |access-date=August 5, 2015}} and returned to Alaska with his family in 1973, establishing residence in Anchorage. Sean Parnell was 10 years old at the time.

Parnell's mother worked as a high school teacher for more than twenty-five years. She taught at Bartlett High School and East Anchorage High School, the latter a short distance from their home. Both of Parnell's parents were entrepreneurs, owning a retail photocopy and office supply business together in Anchorage for more than twenty-five years. Parnell worked in the family business as a teenager and during his college years.

In 1980, Pat Parnell, a Democrat, ran against incumbent Don Young for Alaska's sole seat in the United States House of Representatives, taking 25.82% of the vote.[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electioninfo/1980election.pdf], Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 1980, page 3, Clerk of the House of Representatives; retrieved October 9, 2014.

Parnell graduated from East Anchorage High School in 1980. He earned a BBA in 1984 from Pacific Lutheran University and a Juris Doctor in 1987 from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now known as Seattle University School of Law).

Career

He is admitted to the bar in both Alaska and Washington, D.C.[http://gov.state.ak.us Governor Sean Parnell profile], gov.state.ak.us; accessed November 7, 2014. Parnell worked as an attorney in the private sector from 1987 to 2003, 2005 to 2006, and in 2015 after his term as governor. For nine years of the time he owned his own law practice.

In the 1990s, he continued in private practice while he served in the Alaska House and the Alaska Senate.

= Legal career =

When Parnell left the Alaska Senate, he became director of government relations in Alaska for Phillips Petroleum, which later became ConocoPhillips.{{cite news |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/sean_parnell/index.html |title=Sean Parnell news |work=The New York Times |first=William|last=Yardley|access-date=May 23, 2010}} In 2005, he joined the law firm Patton Boggs and practiced law.{{cite magazine| url=http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1913042,00.html|title=Sean Parnell: Alaska's New Governor| magazine=Time|date=July 28, 2009|access-date=August 3, 2015|last1=Fitzpatrick|first1=Laura}} Patton Boggs represented ExxonMobil in the Exxon Valdez oil spill litigation, though Parnell had no role in that representation or litigation.{{cite news| url=http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/070509/loc_459496830.shtml|title=Who is Sean Parnell?|publisher=Juneau Empire |access-date=August 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217040233/http://juneauempire.com/stories/070509/loc_459496830.shtml|archive-date=December 17, 2010|url-status=dead}} Parnell left Patton Boggs less than two years later on December 3, 2006.

=Alaska Legislature=

Parnell was first elected to the Alaska House of Representatives, in 1992 at the age of twenty-nine. He represented a district in Anchorage that included at that time, Independence Park, Dimond Blvd., and the Southport/Bayshore areas of Anchorage. After his first year in the state house, Parnell was named the "Most Effective Freshman Legislator" by his colleagues and those who worked in the State Capitol.{{cite web |title=Senator Sean Parnell Leaving Legislature |url=http://www.akrepublicans.org/pastlegs/prparnell104102000.htm |website=akrepublicans.org |access-date=17 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414101536/http://www.akrepublicans.org/pastlegs/prparnell104102000.htm |archive-date=April 14, 2019 |language=en-us |url-status=usurped |date=April 10, 2000}} This recognition arose because Parnell was known for taking the time to help other legislators hone and pass their legislation and in doing so, learned the legislative process and developed relationships with his colleagues. In 1994, Parnell was re-elected to represent South Anchorage in the Alaska House. Throughout his four years in the Alaska House of Representatives, Parnell was known for his work on the House Finance Committee and in the fight against domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska. During those years he sponsored and passed seminal legislation known as the Domestic Violence Prevention Act of 1996 that was Alaska's first consistent, comprehensive statewide policy on this issue.

In 1996, Parnell ran for and was elected to a seat in the Alaska Senate and became a member of the Energy Council and served on the powerful Senate Finance Committee.[http://ltgov.state.ak.us/bio.php Alaska Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell's profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620183307/http://ltgov.state.ak.us/bio.php |date=June 20, 2006 }}, ltgov.state.ak.us; accessed November 7, 2014. In 1999 and 2000, he became a member of the Senate Republican Majority's Leadership when his Senate colleagues chose him to serve as the co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

In 2000, Parnell finished his first and only term in the state senate, choosing not to seek re-election. He cited his commitment to his family as his reason and returned to work in the private sector.

Six years later, in 2006, Parnell was elected lieutenant governor of Alaska, along with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.{{cite web |title=State of Alaska – 2006 General Election |date=November 7, 2006 |url= http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/06GENR/data/results.htm |website= elections.alaska.gov |access-date=January 27, 2016}} In July 2009, when Governor Palin resigned her position, Parnell became governor and finished the term of office.{{cite news|url=http://www.adn.com/article/20090703/palins-resignation-shocks-alaska-nation|title=Palin's Resignation Shocks Alaska and Nation|work=Anchorage Daily News|access-date=January 27, 2016}} In 2010, Parnell won a four-year term as governor in his own right.{{cite news|url=http://www.adn.com/article/20101102/parnell-wins-his-own-term-alaska-governor|title=Parnell Wins His Own Term as Alaska Governor|work=Anchorage Daily News|access-date=January 27, 2016}}

=Lieutenant governor=

File:Sarah Palin Sean Parnell cropped.jpg

In 2005, Parnell ran and won in the Republican primary to become lieutenant governor. Afterward, in the general election, he was paired with Sarah Palin as her running mate. In Alaska, the lieutenant governor candidates run separately from the governor candidates in the primary election race, but after the primaries, the nominees for governor and lieutenant governor run together as a slate. Palin and Parnell were elected with 48.33% of the vote over former governor Tony Knowles and State Representative Ethan Berkowitz's 40.97% share of the vote.{{cite web |title=State of Alaska – 2006 General Election |date=November 7, 2006 |url= http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/06GENR/data/results.htm |website= elections.alaska.gov |access-date=January 27, 2016}}

=2008 congressional campaign=

{{Main article|2008 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska}}

On March 14, 2008, Parnell began his campaign to take on embattled 18-term member of Congress Don Young in the August 26 Republican primary.Josh Kraushaar, [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alaska-lieutenant-governor-announces-primary-run-against-young/ "Alaska Lieutenant Governor Announces Primary Run Against Young"], CBS News, March 14, 2008.

Parnell was endorsed by Sarah Palin, National Review magazine, and the fiscally conservative 501(c)4 organization Club for Growth.Josh Kraushaar, [http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0608/Club_for_Growth_endorses_challenger_to_Don_Young.html "Club for Growth endorses challenger to Young"], politico.com, June 6, 2008; accessed August 4, 2008.R.A. Dillon, [http://newsminer.com/news/2008/jun/06/washington-anti-earmark-group-endorses-parnell-ove "Washington Anti-Earmark Group Endorses Parnell"]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Daily News Miner, Fairbanks, AK, June 6, 2008; accessed November 7, 2014.
NOTE: Partially accessed by archives search on January 5, 2011; full access requires registration and fee.
"He also has the backing of fiscally conservative Gov. Sarah Palin."[https://archive.today/20120711025011/http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmM4ZjIwYzMwYzlkZjFmZTQyYzRiZDU2MDUxNzg1OGI "Don Young's Wrong Way"], National Review, April 1, 2008; accessed August 4, 2008.

On July 31, 2008, Parnell told Roll Call he would not drop out of his race against Young to run against U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, who had been indicted.Shira Toeplitz, [http://www.rollcall.com/news/27224-1.html "Parnell Won't Switch to Alaska Senate Race"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609135318/http://www.rollcall.com/news/27224-1.html |date=June 9, 2011 }}, Roll Call, July 31, 2008; accessed August 4, 2008.

Parnell lost the primary for the U.S. House seat. The margin between incumbent Young and Parnell was narrow, and the winner was not immediately clear. The result released on September 18 showed Young winning by 304 votes. Parnell said he trusted the integrity of the work of the Division of Elections, an agency he oversaw as Alaska's lieutenant governor. He said in a statement, "While a recount could change the outcome of this exceedingly close election – normal human error being what it is – such a result is unlikely. As such, I do not believe it justifies an expenditure of taxpayer funds."{{cite news |url=http://juneauempire.com/stories/091908/sta_334251368.shtml#.VcmrIEV9s7A |publisher=The Juneau Empire |date=September 19, 2008 |access-date=January 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206132310/http://juneauempire.com/stories/091908/sta_334251368.shtml#.VcmrIEV9s7A |archive-date=February 6, 2016 |url-status=dead |title=No recount in Young-Parnell primary race | Juneau Empire - Alaska's Capital City Online Newspaper }}

=Governor of Alaska=

==Ascent to office==

On July 26, 2009, halfway through her term as governor, Palin resigned. Parnell replaced her, becoming Alaska's tenth governor, in accordance with the Alaska Constitution. Craig Campbell, commissioner of Alaska's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, succeeded Parnell as lieutenant governor after Palin first named Joe Schmidt, commissioner of corrections, as a replacement for Parnell, and Schmidt resigned from the second-in-line position on July 6, 2009.http://juneauempire.com/stories/070709/sta_460684529.shtml#.VcmxrkV9s7A {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206142154/http://juneauempire.com/stories/070709/sta_460684529.shtml#.VcmxrkV9s7A |date=February 6, 2016 }}; The Juneau Empire, July 7, 2009; Retrieved January 27, 2016[http://www.law.state.ak.us/pdf/opinions/opinions_2009/09-007_succession.pdf], State of Alaska Department of Law, July 10, 2009; Retrieved January 27, 2016

==2010 campaign==

Parnell ran for a full term as governor in 2010. In the primary he faced off against Bill Walker, a former mayor of Valdez, Alaska and aide to former governor Walter J. Hickel, and Ralph Samuels, a retiring member of the Alaska House of Representatives. Although Walker seemed to gain traction towards the end based on the issue of building a natural gas pipeline, Samuels and Walker split the anti-Parnell vote {{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} and Parnell won the nomination. He and Mead Treadwell, who had won the August primary for lieutenant governor, faced off against the Democratic ticket of former House majority leader and 2008 congressional nominee Ethan Berkowitz and Diane Benson.{{cite news |last=MSNBC |title=Gov Palin to resign her office |url= http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10641495|work=KTUU-TV|access-date=July 3, 2009}} Parnell-Treadwell eventually defeated Berkowitz-Benson by over ten points.[http://aprn.org/2010/11/03/election-night-2010-incumbents-parnell-and-young-re-elected-possibly-murkowski "Election Night 2010: Incumbents Parnell and Young Re-Elected, Possibly Murkowski"], APRN.org, March 10, 2010.

==2014 campaign==

Parnell ran for re-election in 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130504/neither-democrats-nor-republicans-shocked-parnell-running-again|title=Neither Democrats nor Republicans shocked Parnell is running again|author=Pat Forgey|author2=Alaska Dispatch|publisher=alaskadispatch.com|date=May 4, 2013|author2-link=Alaska Dispatch|access-date=September 4, 2014|archive-date=March 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308185010/http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130504/neither-democrats-nor-republicans-shocked-parnell-running-again|url-status=dead}} Former Republican Bill Walker challenged Parnell as an independent politician, and merged his campaign with Democratic Party gubernatorial nominee Byron Mallott, who became Walker's running mate as an independent.{{cite news|url=http://www.adn.com/article/20140901/walker-mallott-join-forces-governors-race|title=Walker, Mallott to join forces in governor's race|date=September 1, 2014|access-date=September 2, 2014|publisher=Alaska Dispatch News}} Parnell conceded the election to Bill Walker on November 15, 2014.

Parnell drew criticism during his re-election campaign over his support of billions in tax reductions for the petrochemical industry as well scandals regarding accusations of coverups of sexual abuse scandals, cronyism, corruption and whistleblower suppression, within the Alaska National Guard.Jill Burke and Richard Mauer,, [http://www.adn.com/article/20141002/parnell-defends-handling-alaska-national-guard-dysfunction-plans-more-firings "Parnell defends handling of Alaska National Guard dysfunction, plans more firings"], Alaska Dispatch News, October 2, 2014; retrieved October 3, 2014.Jill Burke and Richard Mauer, [http://www.adn.com/article/20141001/parnell-waited-years-take-direct-action-national-guard-misconduct Parnell waited years to take direct action on National Guard misconduct], Alaska Dispatch News, October 1, 2014; retrieved October 3, 2014.Caslon Hatch, [http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/anchorage-sb21-debate-draws-standingroomonly-crowd/27122724 "Debate draws standing-room-only crowd"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602091610/http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/anchorage-sb21-debate-draws-standingroomonly-crowd/27122724 |date=June 2, 2015 }}, KTUU.com, July 23, 2014; retrieved October 3, 2014.

Out of 19 incumbent Republican governors running for re-election, Parnell and Pennsylvania's Tom Corbett were the only ones who lost the 2014 elections.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2014/11/6/7170025/governor-election-results-2014|title=25 out of 28 incumbent governors on the ballot this week won reelection|last=Prokop|first=Andrew|date=November 6, 2014|website=Vox|language=en|access-date=January 5, 2020}}

Tenure

Parnell launched the "Choose Respect" initiative in 2010 to combat the high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska. Recognizing the severe impact of these issues, Parnell's campaign focused on raising awareness, improving law enforcement and prosecution, and enhancing support for survivors through education and prevention programs. The initiative gained significant support, with annual events like marches, rallies, and vigils held across the state to promote respect and solidarity against violence. By 2012, over 100 communities were participating in these events, demonstrating widespread commitment to the cause.{{Cite web |last=Edge |first=Josh |date=2011-04-01 |title=Alaskans Rally to Support ‘Choose Respect’ Campaign |url=https://alaskapublic.org/2011/03/31/alaskans-rally-to-support-choose-respect-campaign/ |access-date=2024-07-19 |website=Alaska Public Media |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Alaska Delegation Supports Gov. Parnell’s "Choose Respect" Initiative with D.C. Rally {{!}} U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska |url=https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-delegation-supports-gov-parnells-choose-respect-initiative-with-dc-rally |access-date=2024-07-19 |website=www.murkowski.senate.gov |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Pacer |first=Megan |date=2017-03-31 |title=Dozens ‘Choose Respect’ in annual awareness march |url=https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/news/dozens-choose-respect-in-annual-awareness-march/ |access-date=2024-07-19 |website=Peninsula Clarion |language=en-US}}

Personal life

Parnell married his college girlfriend Sandy in 1987; the couple then returned to Anchorage where Parnell began practicing law. The Parnells' daughters, Grace and Rachel, were born and raised in Anchorage.[http://www.parnell2014.com/about/]; Retrieved January 27, 2016.

Grace is a professional photographer and Rachel is a university student pursuing a history degree.{{cite web|title=Grace Adams|url=http://www.gracekadams.com/about-grace|access-date=January 27, 2016|work=GraceKAdams.com}}{{cite web|title=Parnell's Honesty vs Walker's Cynicism|url=http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2014-10-19/my-turn-parnells-honesty-vs-walkers-cynicism|access-date=January 27, 2016|publisher=The Juneau Empire}}

In October 2015, Parnell and his wife Sandy, moved to Palmer, Alaska. He returned to working as an attorney in private practice and opened a law firm, specializing in business law, contracts, and real estate.{{cite news|title=Valley Newcomer Parnell Returns to Legal Roots|publisher=Alaska Dispatch News|url=http://www.adn.com/article/20151015/valley-newcomer-parnell-returns-legal-roots-palmer-office|access-date=January 27, 2016}}