Historical independence

History of Alaskan independence advocacy

From the 1973 petition drive and 1984 party recognition, through the 1990 governorship and 1993 murder, to the 2025 dissolution and 2026 successor.

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1973-1984: petition drive to formal party

Joe Vogler founded the Alaskans for Independence petition drive in 1973, merging it into the Alaskan Independence Party in 1978, which gained formal recognition in 1984.[1]

1990-1993: the Hickel governorship and Vogler's death

Wally Hickel won the governorship under the party banner in 1990 before returning to the Republican Party.[2]

Vogler was murdered in 1993 before he could present Alaska's case for independence to the UN General Assembly.[3]

2025-2026: dissolution and successor

The AIP's board voted to dissolve the party on 7 December 2025.[4]

Former chair Bob Bird formed the successor Alaskan Party shortly afterward.[5]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: Joe Vogler founded the Alaskans for Independence petition drive in 1973, seeking support for Alaska's secession from the United States; it merged into the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP) in 1978, which gained formal recognition as a political party in 1984 and advocated for an in-state referendum offering Alaskan independence as one option.

    • Alaskan Independence Party (Wikipedia) link, Founding and early history section. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: Wally Hickel was elected Governor of Alaska in 1990 under the Alaskan Independence Party banner, one of the few instances of a US third party controlling a state governorship, before returning to the Republican Party ahead of the 1994 election.

  3. 3.

    Claim: Joe Vogler was scheduled to present Alaska's case for independence to the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 but was murdered before he could do so.

  4. 4.

    Claim: The Alaskan Independence Party's board voted to dissolve the party on 7 December 2025, citing an assessment that much of its membership was apathetic to its original goals, believed it to be a branch of the Republican Party, or was registered to it by mistake.

    • Alaskan Independence Party Votes to Dissolve Itself (Ballot Access News) link, Board vote and rationale section. Source record
  5. 5.

    Claim: Shortly after the AIP's dissolution, former party chair Bob Bird formed a successor organisation, the Alaskan Party, describing it as continuing the AIP's mission and appealing to former AIP members to register under the new banner.

    • Newly Formed Alaskan Party Seeks to Continue Mission of Disbanded Alaskan Independence Party (Independent Political Report) link, Successor formation section. Source record

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Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/alaskan-independence/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.