(Washington D.C) Rep. Don Young, Alaska’s Congressman elected in 1973, and the longest serving Republican member of the House, sadly passed away this past Friday while travelling home to Alaska.
Safari Club International CEO W. Laird Hamberlin released the following statement on the loss of Rep. Young:
“Among the outdoor sporting community, Don Young was regarded as the true embodiment of our motto: ‘first for hunters.’ He was known as the Congressman for all Alaska, and he was also the Congressman for all hunters.
During his remarkable tenure as a lawmaker Rep. Young understood that hunters’ rights and wildlife conservation are inextricably linked. He pulled no punches as he fought for our hunting freedoms and specifically for hunting access on public lands, our Second Amendment rights, and for an improved Pittman-Robertson Act to protect funding to state wildlife agencies from bureaucratic waste and abuse.
The state of Alaska and America’s hunting heritage are better off today because of Rep. Young, and our sense of loss is rivaled only by our appreciation for what he accomplished on behalf of America’s hunters.”
Rep. Young’s relationship with SCI spans decades alongside his career in Congress. He was a lifetime member who rarely missed an in-person attendance at the Annual Conventions in Reno and Las Vegas. He was also the recipient of multiple Legislator of the Year awards, most recently in 2019.
