Stephen Cambreleng Cowper (born August 21, 1938) is an American Democratic politician who was the sixth governor of Alaska from 1986 to 1990. He was governor during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Cowper is the CEO of Steve Cowper & Associates. He has also served on the boards of multiple energy-related companies in the US and Canada.

Early life and career

Cowper was born in 1938 in Petersburg, Virginia, to Stephanie (née Smith) and Marion Cowper. He was raised in Kinston, North Carolina and attended Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Virginia. He received bachelor's and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and after serving in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and Army Reserve, he worked as a maritime lawyer in Norfolk, Virginia, for three years. Cowper moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1968 and served as assistant district attorney for rural Alaska and Fairbanks. During his time in the House, he served as chairman of the Finance Committee (1977–1978), chairman of the Steering Council on Alaska Lands (1978), a member of the Subsistence Committee (1977–1978), and a member of the Alaska Advisory Committee for the Law of the Sea Conference (1978). In 1982, Cowper ran for governor, but narrowly lost the Democratic nomination to Bill Sheffield, who went on to win the general election.

Since 1991, he has been the CEO of Steve Cowper & Associates, a group that advises companies and governments on energy-related initiatives. He has also served on the boards of multiple energy-related companies in the US and Canada. As of 2010, Cowper lived in Austin, Texas with his third wife and family.

References

  • Steve Cowper at 100 Years of Alaska's Legislature

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