Remembering the life and legacy of Katie Hurley

WASILLA — One of Alaska’s most prominent and cherished political figures, Katie Hurley, died at the age of 99 in Portland, Oregon, Feb. 21.

The longtime Mat-Su resident’s name will be forever bound to Alaskan politics and the state’s history, and her memory carries on through the countless lives she’s touched with a positive light for so many years.

“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.”

Hurley is most well known for playing numerous critical roles in Alaska’s public life and the transition into statehood. Her lengthy and extensive career spanned across numerous roles in Alaskan government for several generations.

“She was very dedicated... She got a lot of things done for the state,” Benny Cottle said. “She made things a lot better for us.”

During the early days leading up to statehood, Hurley served as the chief clerk to the Alaska Constitutional Convention in Fairbanks from Nov. 8, 1955 to Feb. 6, 1956.

“She was the epitome of that era of Alaskans, in that she was totally dedicated to the betterment of the state. She believed in statehood and she worked for it… She was there working every single day,” Lankford said.

For 12 years, Hurley worked as an assistant to Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening, in addition to the Chief Clerk to the Constitutional Convention, Secretary of the Territorial Senate, and Secretary of the State Senate, according to a recent press release from the office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Hurley eventually went on to serve in the state legislature from 1985 to 1987.

Vic Fischer was one of 55 delegates to the Alaska State Constitutional Convention while Hurley was the head clerk for the delegation. Fischer is now the only surviving member of the delegation.

“Anybody who was engaged in that worked very hard. They worked long hours. There were no slackers amongst that group of people, and Katie recorded it very well… I’d say that was what she felt was her greatest accomplishment,” Lankford said.

Gov. Dunleavy and First Lady Rose Dunleavy issued the following statement about Hurley, “Katie Hurley was a pioneer who impacted countless lives in her commitment to Alaska’s public affairs. Her dedicated contributions during Alaska’s formative Territorial and Statehood years created history. From the first day that Alaska became a state, Katie was at the forefront of devoted public service. We offer our deepest sympathies to Katie Hurley’s family and friends as they honor her memory.”

Lankford said that she’ll miss how cordial and inviting Hurley was. She said that Hurley had an unwavering ability to speak positively to anyone on any spectrum on the political scale, and she was always a warm and approachable presence at any social gathering.

“What was attractive about her to everybody was that she was very positive, very warm, animated, a very animated person, and very alive,” Lankford said with a laugh. “She was very pretty and she dressed very well… She was extremely articulate... It was just impossible to not like Katie Hurley.”

Hurley’s impact echoed beyond her time in office. She eventually moved to the Valley where she raised her children while still finding ways to give back to the community.

Cottle served on the MTA board with Hurley for several years. He knew Hurley for a long time. He said that he remembers her very fondly, and that’s the case with anybody who knew her.

“She was always fun to be around. She could keep a conversation going real good,” Cottle said with a laugh. “Everybody liked her… She never did harm to nobody.”

According to MyHouse founder Michelle Overstreet, Hurley’s life was inspiring not only as a political figure but also as a pioneer and role model for Alaskan women to look up to.

“We named one of our girls transitional houses after her because she was such a strong and determined woman in our community… She led women into the field of politics and broke through several glass ceilings in her lifetime,” Overstreet said.

Hurley died close to a month away from her 100th birthday. Flags across the state will be hung at half-staff on Tuesday, March 30 in her honor.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com