Fran Ulmer

Fran Ulmer

Frances Ann "Fran" Ulmer (born February 1, 1947) is an administrator and Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. She served as the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002 under governor Tony Knowles, becoming the first female elected to statewide office in Alaska. She later served as the chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Frances Ann Ulmer was born in Madison, Wisconsin and grew up in Horicon, Wisconsin to a couple who owned the only funeral home in the area. Her education included a bachelor's degree in economics and political science and culminated in a law degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Ulmer worked with Jay Hammond, the Republican governor from 1975 through 1981. She served as mayor of Juneau from 1983 to 1985 and in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1987 to 1994 as a Democrat.

From 1993 to 1994 she served as the House Minority Leader.

From 1994 to 2002 she served as Lieutenant Governor under Governor Tony Knowles (D).

In 2002, she was nominated by the Democratic party for the office of governor. She lost the election to the Republican candidate, U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski.

In 2004, she accepted a teaching job at the University of Alaska ending speculation of her candidacy for governor in 2006.

In March 2007, University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton appointed Fran Ulmer as the University of Alaska Anchorage interim chancellor. In April 2008, Ulmer accepted the position of Chancellor on a permanent basis. On January 22, 2010, Ulmer announced her intent to resign from the Chancellor position at the University of Alaska Anchorage effective in 2011.

In June 2010, President Obama appointed Fran Ulmer to the seven member National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The commission is charged with investigating the causes of the explosion and oil spill, and recommending changes to prevent future disasters. Fran Ulmer will serve on this voluntary commission and retain her duties as chancellor of UAA until her retirement in June 2011.