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JAY S. HAMMOND (b. 1921). Papers; 1946-1993. 10 cu. ft. Inventory.
Jay Sterner Hammond was born in Troy, New York, in 1921. He graduated from high school in Scotia, New York, in 1940 and studied petroleum engineering at Penn State University (1940-1942). Hammond served as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot in the South Pacific in World War II (1942-1945) and in China (1945-1946). 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 1950s 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.
The collection consists of speeches, correspondence, notes, articles, clippings, campaign literature, publications, and other materials relating to Jay S. Hammond's life and political career. It is divided into ten series: biographical materials; squib notebooks; speeches and testimony; speeches by others; legislative, pre-gubernatorial campaign papers; 1974 gubernatorial campaign papers; 1978 gubernatorial campaign papers; papers relating to his service as governor; publications; and photographs. The majority of the collection consists of Hammond's speeches, legislative papers, gubernatorial campaign papers, and governor's papers. Most of the series are arranged internally in alphabetical order; the speeches and testimony are in chronological order.
The collection was presented to the archives by Jay S. Hammond in 1996. A deed of gift was signed in 1996.
HMC-0442
JS (5/1996)