Hammond, Jay S.

Jay Sterner Hammond was born in Troy, New York, in 1921. He studied petroleum engineering at Penn State University (1940-1942). He came to Alaska in 1946, where he worked as a bush pilot and guide. He also attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, graduating with a degree in biological sciences in 1949. Hammond then worked as a hunter for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and became a master hunting and fishing guide. He homesteaded near Lake Clark in the early 1940s and married Bella Gardiner of Dillingham in 1952. He entered politics in 1959, serving as a representative in the Alaska State Legislature from Bristol Bay (1959-1965), and later as state senator (1967-1972) and President of the Senate (1971-1972). After leaving the state legislature, Hammond served as Mayor of Bristol Bay Borough (1972-1974) and governor of Alaska (1974-1982). His administration was noted for its conservation efforts, the creation of the Alaska Permanent Fund (1976), and the passage of a constitutional amendment to limit state spending (1982). After retirement from office, Hammond wrote articles for Alaska newspapers and continued to advocate conservation and fiscal responsibility at the state level.