Tom Begich
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Tom Begich
|image = Tom Begich at Senate Minority press availability, January 25, 2017 (1).png
|caption = Begich in 2017
|office = Minority Leader of the Alaska Senate
|term_start = January 15, 2019
|term_end = January 17, 2023
|predecessor = Berta Gardner
|successor = Shelley Hughes
|office1 = Member of the Alaska Senate
|constituency1 = J
|term_start1 = January 17, 2017
|term_end1 = January 17, 2023
|predecessor1 = Johnny Ellis
|successor1 = Löki Tobin (District I)
|birth_name = Thomas Scott Begich
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|10|31}}
|birth_place = Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Democratic
|spouse = Sarah Sledge
|relatives = Nick Begich Sr. (father)
Mark Begich (brother)
Nick Begich III (nephew)
|education = Bard College (BA)
}}
Thomas Scott Begich (born October 31, 1960) is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Alaska Senate. He represented District J from 2017 to 2023 and was elected twice without general election opposition.{{cite news|title=Alaska District J State Senate Results: Tom Begich Wins|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/alaska-state-senate-district-j|access-date=27 February 2017|work=New York Times|date=February 10, 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Hillman|first1=Anne|title=Replacing a legacy: running for Senate Seat J|url=http://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/08/08/replacing-a-legacy-running-for-senate-seat-j/|access-date=27 February 2017|publisher=Alaska Public Media|date=August 8, 2016}} In 2022, his seat was redistricted, and Begich chose to withdraw his candidacy for the seat.[https://ballotpedia.org/Tom_Begich Tom Begich], Ballotpedia, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
Career
Begich is a musician and author. He has released six albums and has performed in venues across the country. He is also the author of a book of poetry, "Six Truths, Fifty Sonnets."{{cite news |last1=Auxier |first1=Randall |title=Tom Begich, Sarah Sledge to present poetry and song on Oct. 30 |url=http://murphysborotimes.com/tom-begich-sarah-sledge-to-present-poetry-and-song-on-oct-p1822-1.htm |access-date=4 September 2020 |publisher=Murphysboro Times |date=29 October 2019}} He was a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
In 2020, Begich partnered with Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy to introduce the Alaska Reads Act, an initiative aimed to improve reading for kindergarten through third-grade students through a reading intervention program, teacher training, and data reporting requirements. The Alaska Reads Act was passed by the Alaska Legislature in May 2022.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}
Personal life
Tom Begich's father was Nick Begich Sr., a member of the United States House of Representatives.{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Rick |date=November 3, 2015 |title=In 1972, Two U.S Representatives Boarded a Plane and Disappeared. What Happened? |url=http://archive.seattleweekly.com/home/961602-129/story.html |newspaper=Seattle Weekly |location=Seattle, WA|access-date= February 28, 2017}} His brother, Mark, was a member of the United States Senate and his brother Nick Jr., is a conspiracy theorist author, scientist, and researcher. Tom Begich's uncle, Joseph Begich, served 18 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives.Minnesota State Legislature, [http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?ID=10037 Biography, Joseph R. Begich], retrieved June 2, 2014 Begich's wife, Sarah Sledge, is a singer and songwriter.{{cite web |title=Music and Thought: Tom Begich with Sarah Sledge, an Evening of Poetry and Song |url=https://news.wsiu.org/community-calendar/event/562280 |publisher=WSIU |access-date=4 September 2020}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Member/Detail/30?code=bch Official page] at the Alaska Legislature
- {{C-SPAN|114919}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-ak-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=Berta Gardner}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minority Leader of the Alaska Senate|years=2019–2023}}
{{s-aft|after=Shelley Hughes}}
{{s-end}}
{{Alaska State Senators}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Begich, Tom}}
Category:21st-century members of the Alaska Legislature