John Butrovich Jr. (March 22, 1910 – June 3, 1997) was an American businessman and politician from Alaska. He was a member of the Republican Party, and was that party's nominee in the 1958 gubernatorial election.

John Butrovich
Personal details
Born(1910-03-22)March 22, 1910
Fairbanks, District of Alaska, United States
DiedJune 3, 1997(1997-06-03) (aged 87)
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Grace Butrovich
(m. 1936)
Children1
EducationWashington State University, Pullman
University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Life and career

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Born in a mining camp near Fairbanks, Alaska, to a Croatian American family, Butrovich graduated from Fairbanks High School in 1929. He then went to Washington State University. He returned to Fairbanks and was in the insurance business. He married Grace Butrovich in 1936, and they had one daughter together.[1] From 1944 to 1958, Butrovich served in the Alaska Territorial Senate and was a Republican. He was the speaker of the delegation sent to President Eisenhower to convince him to sign the statehood bill.[2] In 1958, Butrovich ran in the election for Governor of Alaska and lost the election to Bill Egan, 59.6% to 39.4%. From 1963 to 1979, Butrovich served in the Alaska State Senate. He was named Alaskan of the Year in 1980, and awarded an honorary degree by the University of Alaska. The Butrovich Building, a building on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus which runs the University of Alaska's statewide administration, is named after him.[2]

Death

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Butrovich died at his home in Fairbanks, Alaska after a battle with a long illness. He was 87.[3][4]

Notes

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  1. ^ "John Butrovich Jr". UAF Centennial. University of Alaska Fairbanks.
  2. ^ a b Davis, Neil (September 1999). "John Butrovich". The Ester Republic – via UA Journey, University of Alaska.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - John Butrovich Jr". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  4. ^ "Alaska Statehood Leader John Butrovich Dies at 87". Sikta Daily Sentinel. June 4, 1997. p. 3. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Party political offices
First Republican nominee for Governor of Alaska
1958
Succeeded by