One of the most prominent and beloved women in Alaska history with ties to the Mat-Su Valley was Katie Hurley. The longtime political pioneer had a lasting impact on countless lives in her commitment to Alaska’s public affairs, long before Alaska even became a state.

Born Olga Katherine Torkelsen in Juneau on March 30, 1921, she was raised in Juneau, living in “the flats” area of downtown. After graduating from Juneau High School, she attended Behnke-Walker Business College in Portland, Oregon. Upon returning to Juneau in 1940, Hurley did not immediately work for Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening. In fact, she began working with the Game Commission for a while and happened upon the opportunity to work for the governor as a stenographer. In a 2004 interview with Dr. Terrence Cole for the “Creating Alaska Project,” Hurley described her time working for Gruening as “he was so patient with me. And I think it was because I was so enthusiastic about everything. I knew it was a big adventure you know every day was not like going to work.”

Hurley continued to work for Gruening until 1953, and a fun fact is that she typed his book, “The State of Alaska: A Definitive History of America’s Northernmost Frontier,” which was later published in 1954.

After working for the Territorial Governor’s office, Hurley became the Secretary of the Territorial Senate, then the Chief Clerk to Alaska’s Constitutional Convention in 1955–1956. When Alaska was granted statehood, Hurley didn’t rest on her laurels. Her list of government and political positions is expansive, spanning numerous roles within Alaskan government. She was on the Statehood Transitional Staff of Governor William A. Egan in 1959–1960, became the Secretary of the State Senate for five sessions, and served as the president of the State Board of Education for seven years. If that wasn’t enough, she was the president of the National Federation of Federal Employees.

Another fun fact-when President John F. Kennedy visited Alaska in 1960, Hurley was invited to have breakfast with him, and along with her kids, met with then Senator Kennedy, spending an hour discussing Alaska and the country.

In 1978, Hurley made Alaskan history as the first woman to win a statewide partisan election. Stepping out from behind the scenes, and with encouragement from family and community, Hurley ran against seven men for the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor, becoming the Democratic nominee for the position. The Democratic party lost the race to Republican incumbent.

After that, Hurley became the executive director of the Alaska Women’s Commission for three years. A dedicated Democrat, she ran for State House as a Democrat from Wasilla, and was elected in 1984. She caused a stir with her vote against the saying the Pledge of Allegiance every day in, and didn’t back down when her Democratic colleagues pushed to change her vote. She was defeated in her bid for re-election in 1986 by Curt Menard.
She remained politically active, serving as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention during eight conventions until 2012, served as vice chair of the Alaska Democratic Party in 2002, a board member to the ACLU, and as a member of the advisory committee to the Wasilla Planning Commission in 2005. She even ran as a write-in candidate against House District 14 incumbent Vic Kohring in 2006 at the age of 85.

In a 2012 interview with C-SPAN, a smiling and enthusiastic Hurley talked about how impressed she was with the young people and diverse people she had seen in attendance, hopeful of their involvement in the political process. She also spoke of instilling a sense of belonging to the state to her children: “Every Alaska Day or other historical time, I would take something from the Constitutional Convention and I would tell them to take it and read this today.”

In 2001, she received the Dot Jones award, named for the first woman mayor of the Mat-Su Borough. In 2009, she was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame. Hurley received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alaska Southeast for distinguished public service in 1995, although it states that her post-graduate work included “Thirteen years liberal arts, University of Ernest Gruening.” -E.l. Bartlett, 1953.

Hurley, who lived on the banks of Wasilla Lake for about 50 years now, fought off breast cancer 30 years ago and had been one of the last surviving participants in the drafting of Alaska’s Constitution. She had a love of music and played the piano for her church well into her 80s.

Katie Hurley passed away at age of 99. Her dedicated contribution during Alaska’s Territorial and Statehood years has rightly earned her the nickname “Grand Dame of Alaska Politics.”

“She was vivacious… She was very interested in life. She was very dedicated to Alaska,” Kelly Palmquist Lankford, Hurley’s longtime friend, said. “There’s no question… She brought people together… She was a peacemaker and she did it very graciously.”

Written by Katie Stavick, Frontiersman