Don Wright

Who was Don Wright?

Donald Rose "Don" Wright was an American politician and former president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, serving from 1970 to 1972 during the height of activity over passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Most of his notoriety in Alaskan politics has come as a perennial candidate for statewide office in Alaska over several decades. Wright has run for statewide office in Alaska fifteen times between 1968 and 2010, eleven of those times for governor of Alaska. Of his gubernatorial campaigns, he was most notable as the gubernatorial nominee of the Alaskan Independence Party in 1978, 2002, 2006 and 2010. The 1978 campaign was the only time in the party's early history in which party founder Joe Vogler was not the gubernatorial nominee. Wright ran his 2010 campaign without a running mate.

Donald Rose Wright was born in Nenana, Alaska, one of seven sons of Episcopal missionaries Arthur and Myrtle Wright. His mother was white. His father was Gwich'in, with familial origins in Old Crow, Yukon, and was one of numerous Alaska Natives recruited for and mentored in the ministry by Episcopal bishop Peter Trimble Rowe.