1. Stephen Cambreleng Cowper was born on August 21,1938 and is an American Democratic politician who was the sixth governor of Alaska from 1986 to 1990.
13 Facts About Steve Cowper
1. 2.
Steve Cowper was governor during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
3.
Steve Cowper has served on the boards of multiple energy-related companies in the US and Canada.
4.
Steve Cowper was born in 1938 in Petersburg, Virginia, to Stephanie and Marion Steve Cowper.
5.
Steve Cowper was raised in Kinston, North Carolina and attended Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Virginia.
6.
Steve Cowper received bachelor's and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and after serving in the US Army Medical Corps and Army Reserve, he worked as a maritime lawyer in Norfolk, Virginia, for three years.
7.
Steve Cowper moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1968 and served as assistant district attorney for rural Alaska and Fairbanks.
8.
In 1970, Steve Cowper went to Vietnam and worked as a freelance correspondent throughout Asia.
9.
In 1974, Steve Cowper was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives, where he served two terms.
10.
In 1982, Steve Cowper ran for governor, but narrowly lost the Democratic nomination to Bill Sheffield, who went on to win the general election.
11.
Once in office, Steve Cowper proposed reestablishing the state income tax to help close the state's billion-dollar deficit; this proposal was met with strong opposition.
12.
Steve Cowper advocated the expansion of the University of Alaska's international study program, hoped to establish an International Trade Center, and placed emphasis on the teaching of foreign languages and culture in state schools.
13.
Steve Cowper has served on the boards of multiple energy-related companies in the US and Canada.