William Jennings "Bill" Sheffield
Jun 26, 1928 -
Nov 4, 2022
Bill Sheffield, the fifth governor of Alaska, died on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at his home in Anchorage, Alaska, surrounded by friends. He was 94. Governor Sheffield called Alaska home for over 70 years. He was Governor from 1982-86. His commitment and contributions to the State of Alaska and the City of Anchorage - as an entrepreneur, businessman, public servant and philanthropist - filled his life with purpose, vision and projects.
William Jennings Sheffield was born in 1928 in Spokane, Wash., to Hazel and William J. Sheffield. His father's insurance business dried up during the Great Depression and Sheffield, his brother Harold and his parents survived on the small family farm. Through the lessons of his early childhood, he learned to work hard and developed a ferocious work ethic that stayed with him throughout his life.
Sheffield suffered a serious speech disability that he did not overcome until later in life. In addressing young people he always encouraged them to never give up no matter the adversities they faced.
With World War II over and high school behind him, Sheffield took a love of flying - he and some friends actually pooled their money and bought an old crop duster plane while in high school - and joined the Army Air Corps - now the U.S. Air Force - where he trained as a radar technician. Following his military service, Sheffield attended a technical school and returned to Washington state, where he worked for Sears Roebuck and Company. In 1953, Sears transferred him to Anchorage to sell and service household electric appliances. As Sheffield said, he "never looked back."
In pre-statehood Alaska, Sheffield found a strong sense of community and public service. He excelled at his work and was the top Sears salesman in the nation. He became very active in the Jaycees - Jr. Chamber of Commerce - with many other young men of ambition and vision. Sheffield called joining Jaycees one of the best moves he ever made. He formed lifelong friendships there and learned skills that would serve him well throughout his life.
"Working in the Jaycees forced me to become comfortable in talking to people, running meetings, building organizations and asking for contributions to the causes we were promoting," he wrote in his memoir.
Those were exciting times in Alaska. The drive for statehood gave the Jaycees and other community organizations a huge canvas on which to sketch their visions of the future. Sheffield could see the need for infrastructure to support a new state and its growing population. He began to focus on the development of tourism and transportation. To him it was clear that Alaska in its' magnificence could be a major tourist destination if the infrastructure existed to provide for transportation, housing and food. So in 1958, he and his friend Brad Phillips from Jaycees leased a small apartment complex, renting rooms to tourists in the summer and teachers in the winter. It was Sheffield's first foray into the hospitality industry.
Never one to limit his vision and dreams, Sheffield went on to found Sheffield Enterprises and would ultimately own 19 hotels in Anchorage, Whitehorse, Juneau, Valdez, Sitka, Kodiak and Ketchikan. There were obstacles now and then, including the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, but his persistence and commitment paid off. "If you build it they will come," and come they have. Today, the visitor and tourism industry is vital to the economy of Alaska. Approximately 2.4 million tourists visited Alaska in 2019, pre-COVID-19.
Sheffield met Lee Buhlert in the 1950s and they married in 1969. While running the successful Sheffield Enterprises, he and Lee enjoyed fishing and boating in Southeast Alaska, tending their dogs and spending time with Lee's daughter and sisters in California. They built a vacation home in Rancho Mirage to be near her sisters.
In 1977, Sheffield threw his hat into the 1978 gubernatorial election. But soon after, Lee was diagnosed with lung cancer. They ended the campaign and Lee died nine months later.
A lifelong Roosevelt New Deal Democrat - portraits of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman hung on his living room wall - Sheffield was a practical centrist who focused on basic things that he thought everyone ought to have or have access to. Growing up during the Great Depression, he saw first-hand how government could improve peoples' lives. After Lee's death he threw his considerable energy, determination, and work ethic into a run for Governor.
The campaign for Governor took Sheffield all over Alaska and he loved it. Meeting people and campaigning energized him. Adding to the excitement of the 1982 campaign were two highly controversial ballot propositions, on subsistence and the capital move from Juneau to Willow. Sheffield's own opinions on these issues were strong. He understood that Alaskans who depended on hunting and fishing to subsist should have priority, and he always opposed moving the capital from Juneau.
Sheffield was elected as the fifth person to serve as Governor of the State of Alaska with Stephen McAlpine as his Lieutenant Governor. He loved being Governor and the work of being Governor. He arrived at the office early, stayed late and worked weekends. None of his staff could keep up.
Sheffield's over-arching mission as Governor was to improve Alaskans' lives and their opportunities. There was a lot to be proud of:
He completed the state's takeover of the Alaska Railroad from the federal government.
He shepherded state financing for a road and port system for the Red Dog Mine in Northwest Alaska. The lead and zinc mine created hundreds of jobs for rural Alaskans and opened a new revenue source for NANA, the Native Corporation that owns the land. Thirty-seven years later, the state is still receiving revenue from its Red Dog investment.
Sheffield opposed offshore oil development in Bristol Bay and strengthened regulation of placer mining and logging on state lands.
He supported funding for victims of domestic violence and increased day care opportunities. He appointed more women to the judiciary than any previous governor.
He began a system to classify public employees, a critical step to pay equity for women.
He bucked political pressure and used his executive authority to deposit $700 million in excess oil revenue into the Alaska Permanent Fund.
Not one to sit idle following his tenure as governor and the sale of his hotel business to Holland America, Sheffield left his beloved dog, Carl, with his long-time housekeeper, Christina Loris, while he traveled the world for Martec, an international firm engaged in environmental cleanup of European sites following the breakup of the Soviet Union. During these travels he fell in love with Prague, in the Czech Republic, and often said that, outside of Anchorage, it was his favorite city in the world. He and his longtime companion, Cheri McGuire, would return several times in later years.
In 1997, Governor Tony Knowles appointed Sheffield to the Alaska Railroad Board of Directors where he was elected chair. Transportation, especially railroads, was a passion for Sheffield. As Governor, he had completed the state's takeover of the Alaska Railroad from the federal government. Sheffield held the CEO position until retiring in 2001. At the retirement he noted that he had "…held the two best jobs in Alaska, the opportunity to serve people as Governor and then as head of the Railroad."
That retirement didn't stick. In 2001, Anchorage Mayor George Wuerch asked Sheffield to run the Port of Anchorage - now the Port of Alaska - on an interim basis. Sheffield ended up staying at the Port until 2012 when he retired for good.
Once he finally retired, Sheffield and Cheri had more time for adventures. They traveled extensively in Alaska and around the world to many continents and countries.
Sheffield loved to entertain. His dear friend, Paul Quesnel, says that Sheffield was the most social person he has ever known. His warmth, sense of humor and social, outgoing nature made him the perfect host. His home in Anchorage is legendary as the scene for events for politicians, political causes and community organizations and celebrations for Christmas and birthdays. Friends hold dear the many impromptu gatherings with lively discussions of current events and politics while enjoying the panoramic view of the Inlet, Sleeping Lady and Denali from Sheffield's deck.
Travels within Alaska were special to Sheffield and often involved boating, fishing and hunting. He spent countless happy hours with friends on his boats: Lady Lyndsey in Juneau and later Unit One that he and Kevin and Laurie Bruce kept in Seward. Many of those adventures were shared with close friends Dana and Stephen McAlpine, Rhonda Roberts and Dean Nelson, and John and Margaret Pugh.
In Rancho Mirage, Calif., Sheffield and Cheri hosted an annual Thanksgiving dinner that Cheri says Sheffield planned for all year long and that grew in numbers every year.
In his spare time over the years Sheffield worked on writing his memoirs assisted by Ernie Piper and Pete Spivey. Emily Ricci brought the project over the finish line and the book was published in 2018.
As he always had, Sheffield continued to put his energy and vision to work for the good of Alaska and its people, including sponsorship of the Lee Sheffield Infusion Center at Providence Hospital in Anchorage in memory of his late wife, and three terms on the board of the Alaska Community Foundation (2012-2021).
In recent years he was recognized by numerous organizations: the 2017 Eugene R. Wilson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Democratic Party of Alaska, an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska and Philanthropist of the Year by Girl Scouts of Alaska.
Sheffield is survived by Cheri McGuire and her family, Lesil McGuire, Grayson McGuire Anderson and Jason McGuire; two great-nieces, Joy Long (Mike) of Utah and Jerralyn McDonald (Phillip) of Florida; and a long list of friends and admirers. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lee; step-daughter, Deborah; parents; brother and sister-in-law, Harold and Betty Sheffield; friend, Kevin Bruce; his beloved dogs, Lord Baranoff, Heather, Heidi, Benson and of course, Carl.
Many thanks to the caregivers, medical personnel and Hospice who provided for Governor Sheffield's care.
Services will be held on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, at the First Presbyterian Church at 3 p.m., with a Celebration of Life to follow at the Captain Cook Ballroom beginning at 5 p.m. The service at the Church will be live streamed on both You Tube and Facebook, accessed at https://firstpresanchorage.org.
To honor Governor Sheffield and his dedication to public service and commitment to philanthropy, The Alaska Community Foundation has established the Governor Bill Sheffield Fund. The fund will support causes and nonprofit organizations important to him. In lieu of flowers, consider making a gift in his memory to ://alaskacf.org/funds/bill-sheffield-fund/.
