Joe Vogler
Encyclopedia
Joseph E. "Joe" Vogler was the founder of the Alaskan Independence Party
, and either its chair or gubernatorial nominee for most of its first two decades of existence. He was also known, originally in his adopted hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska
and later statewide, as a frequent participant in governmental and political affairs and frequent litigant in court. Curiously enough, he was known to many non-political observers for his fashion sense, in particular his ubiquitous wearing of fedoras and bolo ties.
, Kansas
. He graduated from high school in Waterville, Kansas
in 1929. That year, he began studying at the University of Kansas
on a scholarship. He graduated with a law
degree in five years and was admitted to the Kansas State Bar. Vogler moved to Alaska in March 1942, after having run afoul of many of his contemporaries in the Lower 48
regarding his views on then-U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
. After spending a year in Kodiak
, he moved to Fairbanks and worked as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Ladd Field
(now Fort Wainwright
) in Fairbanks
until 1951 when he began mining
on Homestake Creek. He filed for 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of homestead
land off the Steese Highway and acquired 320 acres (1.3 km²) near Fairbanks off Farmers Loop Road. Vogler spent fifty years as a miner and developer in Alaska. He was mostly known around Fairbanks as a rabble-rouser and frequent writer of letters to the editor, until 1973 when he launched a petition drive calling for secession for Alaska in the early part of that year, and subsequently launched his first campaign for governor a year later (see Political career, below).
Vogler gained his first serious notoriety in Fairbanks during the 1940s and 1950s for a feud with Paul and Flora Greimann, operators of University Bus Lines. The company was a private urban transit company, which primarily transported students between Fairbanks and the University of Alaska
. Prior to the replacement of the Cushman Street Bridge in 1959, the old bridge was too narrow to accommodate both a large vehicle such as a truck or bus, and another vehicle. Vogler, with Warren A. Taylor
as his attorney, sued University Bus Lines in 1948 in what the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
at the time called the "Battle of the Bridge". Vogler sought a permanent injunction against the buses straddling the center rail of the bridge. The feud continued after the Wendell Street Bridge opened in 1953 and Greimann's buses continued using the Cushman bridge instead of the newer, wider bridge. Police were often involved in quelling these confrontations.
of Alaska
from the United States
. Alaska magazine reported that Vogler claimed to have gathered 15,000 signatures over a period of about three weeks. Vogler was quoted as saying about the effort: "The response has been beyond my wildest expectations. I never dreamed the people would respond like this."
During the 1970s, Vogler founded the Alaskan Independence Party
(AIP) and Alaskans For Independence. The latter name was originally used to label the 1973 petition drive. Vogler also claimed to have organized the meeting which led to the formation of the Libertarian Party
in Alaska. AIP and AFI, as Vogler explained, were intended to function as strictly separate entities — AIP was primarily to explore whether the 1958 vote by Alaskans authorizing statehood was legal, and AFI was primarily to actively pursue secession
for Alaska from the United States
.
The Alaskan Independence Party
quotes Vogler as stating "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."
In a 1991 interview currently housed at the Oral History Program in the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Vogler is recorded as saying "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. And I won't be buried under their damn flag. I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."
Vogler would serve as the AIP's standard-bearer for most of the party's first two decades. He ran for governor in 1974, with Wayne Peppler (born March 26, 1942), a fellow miner from Fairbanks, as his running mate. Jay Hammond
, a longtime legislator from the Bristol Bay
region, was elected over incumbent governor Bill Egan by 287 votes, with Vogler trailing far behind. Many commentators described Vogler as a "spoiler" in the election, arguing that the result would have been different had he not been in the race. However, this campaign opened up the doors for non-major party candidates to run for major offices in Alaska, and generally this accusation is leveled during every election cycle.
Vogler switched to run for lieutenant governor
in 1978, with Don Wright
running for governor. Wright was also the AIP's nominee for governor from 2002 through 2010. The 1978 campaign for governor was dominated by the extremely controversial Republican primary race between moderate Hammond
and former governor Walter Hickel. Hickel lost the primary by 98 votes and would launch a write-in campaign in the general election. Hammond would be reelected governor. There was also a well-financed independent candidate in the race, Tom Kelly, who was Commissioner of Natural Resources
under Hickel and his successor, Keith Miller
. There was little hope for the AIP ticket to gain much attention due to these factors. The Democratic
nominee, Chancy Croft, placed third in the general election due to the continued interest in Hammond vs. Hickel beyond the primary election.
Vogler also ran for governor in 1982 and 1986. Several incidents during these campaigns raised his profile as a "colorful character." In the 1982 race, Vogler was taken to task for comments made during a debate. The issue of moving Alaska's capital appeared during the election, as it has on and off since 1960. The media and political pundits took great fun over Vogler's debate remarks that Alaska
should "nuke the glaciers" along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska
and build a freeway to Juneau. Vogler would later contend that these comments were misinterpreted. Vogler's running mate in 1982 was Roger "Dee" Roberts (born March 27, 1937). Roberts had previously been a candidate for state Senate
in 1974 under the banner of the American Independent Party
. His family have continued as political activists in Fairbanks to this day.
Vogler's running mate in 1986 was Al Rowe (born May 11, 1932), a Fairbanks resident and former Alaska State Trooper
. Rowe took out a series of newspaper ads, fashioning himself in the image of Sheriff Buford Pusser. These ads were a major attention getter during the race. Between Rowe's ads and the turmoil existing in the Republican Party
over the nomination of Arliss Sturgulewski
, the AIP ticket was able to garner 5.5 percent of the vote, gaining the AIP status in Alaska
as a recognized political party for the first time.
Vogler quit running for public office after the 1986 election. However, he would play a significant role in the next gubernatorial race. In 1990, as party chair, Vogler paved the way for the vacation of the nominated party ticket of John Lindauer and Jerry Ward and their replacement with Hickel and Jack Coghill
. Coghill had been nominated as the lieutenant governor candidate by the Republican Party, but was dealing with serious compatibility and philosophical issues with gubernatorial nominee Sturgulewski. The ticket of Hickel and Coghill would go on to win the election.
on Alaskan independence, sponsored by the government of Iran. Convicted thief Manfried West confessed to having murder
ed Vogler the following year in what he described as an illegal plastic explosive sale gone bad. West, trying to recant, later said the confession was a lie, but this was before Vogler's body had been discovered. Vogler's remains were discovered in a gravel pit east of Fairbanks
in October 1994 following an anonymous tip. They had been wrapped in a blue tarp secured with duct tape and were identified through fingerprint analysis. Manfried West was convicted of murdering Joe Vogler and is serving an 80 year sentence.
In the opinion of AIP Chair Lynette Clark and other AIP leaders, however, Vogler's death reflected more than a dispute with West. Clark has stated, "He was executed." She notes that Vogler was about to appear before the United Nations
to address the issue of Alaskan independence: "The United States government would have been deeply embarrassed. And we can't have that, can we?" There was also speculation that as an aging gold miner, he was merely viewed as an easy target for robbery. Although this theory has come up over the years, it was never validated.
As he had publicly promised on numerous occasions, Vogler was buried in Dawson City, Yukon
, Canada
, fulfilling his wish that he not be buried under the American flag. His second wife, Doris Louise, who died of cancer in January 1992, is buried next to him.
he developed, to attempting to enforce subdivison covenants, to launching the earliest salvo in the fight for ballot access
for minor parties in Alaska, through to his efforts regarding seeking formal recognition of his case on statehood issues.
Vogler had launched many political and secessionist efforts behind the scenes in addition to his more high profile runs for office. Perhaps the best known of these was the lawsuit Vogler v. Miller
in 1982, a ballot access case. Vogler v. Miller would be heavily cited in succeeding ballot access cases later in the decade, such as Sykes
v. Alaska, which more directly widened ballot access and party recognition beyond the two major parties.
Vogler was noted for an antipathy
toward aspen
s, to the point where he installed covenants in his subdivisions requiring homeowners to cut and destroy all poplar
, cottonwood and aspen trees on a regular basis. This particular requirement would be challenged in court, with Vogler losing after a lengthy battle through the judicial system. The term "Voglerizer" has entered into the informal vernacular around the Fairbanks area to describe brush trimmers used on highway rights-of-way.
Interest in Vogler was briefly reignited during a period in the late 2000s, when intense media scrutiny of Sarah Palin
during her governorship and vice-presidential candidacy turned up a Palin family connection to the AIP. Other events of note happened during the same time period, though mostly particular to Fairbanks. Fairbanks-based singer-songwriter
Caleb Aronson released his debut album, Livengood
, in March 2006. The first track on Disc 2, "Moving Dirt," is a story song about Vogler's life and death. On July 7, 2006, Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?
broadcast live from the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Vogler's name was brought up during the broadcast, the mention eliciting a significant cheer from the audience. Also in 2006, the AIP released a compact disc entitled Joe Was Right! Volume 1. The disc consists of an interview given on KFAR
's long-running Problem Corner talk show on October 18, 1982, during his second campaign for governor.
on April 6, 1945) and son (Joseph Jr., born ca. 1947) by his first wife, but by all accounts (including his own), he had become estranged from this part of his family. Vogler met his second wife, Doris, in 1964 and remained with her until her death from cancer in 1992. His nephew, Lynn Vogler (born ca. 1959), was named the executor of his estate in a will he wrote following the death of Doris. Previously unknown to his Fairbanks friends, Lynn arrived in Fairbanks shortly after his death and endured a contentious battle in Fairbanks during 1993 and 1994 amongst his friends, supporters and hangers-on over his legacy as well as his physical property. Lynn Vogler continues to the present as the executor of the estate.
Alaskan Independence Party
The Alaskan Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska that advocates an in-state referendum which includes the option of Alaska becoming an independent country...
, and either its chair or gubernatorial nominee for most of its first two decades of existence. He was also known, originally in his adopted hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
and later statewide, as a frequent participant in governmental and political affairs and frequent litigant in court. Curiously enough, he was known to many non-political observers for his fashion sense, in particular his ubiquitous wearing of fedoras and bolo ties.
Early life
Vogler was born April 24, 1913, on a farm outside BarnesBarnes, Kansas
Barnes is a city in Washington County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 159.-Geography:Barnes is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 152...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He graduated from high school in Waterville, Kansas
Waterville, Kansas
Waterville is a city in Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 680.-Geography:Waterville is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
in 1929. That year, he began studying at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
on a scholarship. He graduated with a law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
degree in five years and was admitted to the Kansas State Bar. Vogler moved to Alaska in March 1942, after having run afoul of many of his contemporaries in the Lower 48
Outside (Alaska)
In Alaska, Outside or the Outside refers to any non-Alaska location. Though commonly used by Alaskans to refer to other U.S. states, it may also refer to international locations distant from Alaska, including Canada, Great Britain and Russia...
regarding his views on then-U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. After spending a year in Kodiak
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
, he moved to Fairbanks and worked as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Ladd Field
Ladd Field
Ladd Army Airfield is the military airfield located at Fort Jonathan Wainwright, located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was originally called Fairbanks Air Base, but was renamed Ladd Field on 1 December 1939, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd, a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps who died in a plane crash...
(now Fort Wainwright
Fort Wainwright
Fort Wainwright is a United States Army post adjacent to Fairbanks in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
) in Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
until 1951 when he began mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
on Homestake Creek. He filed for 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of homestead
Homesteading
Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.-Current practice:The term may apply to anyone who follows the back-to-the-land movement by adopting a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. While land is no longer freely available in most areas of the world, homesteading...
land off the Steese Highway and acquired 320 acres (1.3 km²) near Fairbanks off Farmers Loop Road. Vogler spent fifty years as a miner and developer in Alaska. He was mostly known around Fairbanks as a rabble-rouser and frequent writer of letters to the editor, until 1973 when he launched a petition drive calling for secession for Alaska in the early part of that year, and subsequently launched his first campaign for governor a year later (see Political career, below).
Vogler gained his first serious notoriety in Fairbanks during the 1940s and 1950s for a feud with Paul and Flora Greimann, operators of University Bus Lines. The company was a private urban transit company, which primarily transported students between Fairbanks and the University of Alaska
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
. Prior to the replacement of the Cushman Street Bridge in 1959, the old bridge was too narrow to accommodate both a large vehicle such as a truck or bus, and another vehicle. Vogler, with Warren A. Taylor
Warren A. Taylor
Warren Arthur Taylor was an American Democratic politician from Alaska active during its territorial period and first years of statehood. He became the first Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives....
as his attorney, sued University Bus Lines in 1948 in what the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner is a morning daily newspaper that serves the city of Fairbanks, Alaska, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Denali Borough, and the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the United States state of Alaska. It is the farthest north daily newspaper in the United States, and...
at the time called the "Battle of the Bridge". Vogler sought a permanent injunction against the buses straddling the center rail of the bridge. The feud continued after the Wendell Street Bridge opened in 1953 and Greimann's buses continued using the Cushman bridge instead of the newer, wider bridge. Police were often involved in quelling these confrontations.
Political career
Vogler arose as a figure in Alaskan politics in 1973, where he began a petition calling for secessionSecession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Alaska magazine reported that Vogler claimed to have gathered 15,000 signatures over a period of about three weeks. Vogler was quoted as saying about the effort: "The response has been beyond my wildest expectations. I never dreamed the people would respond like this."
During the 1970s, Vogler founded the Alaskan Independence Party
Alaskan Independence Party
The Alaskan Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska that advocates an in-state referendum which includes the option of Alaska becoming an independent country...
(AIP) and Alaskans For Independence. The latter name was originally used to label the 1973 petition drive. Vogler also claimed to have organized the meeting which led to the formation of the Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
in Alaska. AIP and AFI, as Vogler explained, were intended to function as strictly separate entities — AIP was primarily to explore whether the 1958 vote by Alaskans authorizing statehood was legal, and AFI was primarily to actively pursue secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
for Alaska from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Alaskan Independence Party
Alaskan Independence Party
The Alaskan Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska that advocates an in-state referendum which includes the option of Alaska becoming an independent country...
quotes Vogler as stating "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."
In a 1991 interview currently housed at the Oral History Program in the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Vogler is recorded as saying "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. And I won't be buried under their damn flag. I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."
Vogler would serve as the AIP's standard-bearer for most of the party's first two decades. He ran for governor in 1974, with Wayne Peppler (born March 26, 1942), a fellow miner from Fairbanks, as his running mate. Jay Hammond
Jay Hammond
Jay Sterner Hammond was an American politician of the Republican Party, who served as the fourth Governor of Alaska from 1974 to 1982.-Early life:...
, a longtime legislator from the Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
region, was elected over incumbent governor Bill Egan by 287 votes, with Vogler trailing far behind. Many commentators described Vogler as a "spoiler" in the election, arguing that the result would have been different had he not been in the race. However, this campaign opened up the doors for non-major party candidates to run for major offices in Alaska, and generally this accusation is leveled during every election cycle.
Vogler switched to run for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
in 1978, with Don Wright
Don Wright (politician)
Donald Rose "Don" Wright is 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...
running for governor. Wright was also the AIP's nominee for governor from 2002 through 2010. The 1978 campaign for governor was dominated by the extremely controversial Republican primary race between moderate Hammond
Jay Hammond
Jay Sterner Hammond was an American politician of the Republican Party, who served as the fourth Governor of Alaska from 1974 to 1982.-Early life:...
and former governor Walter Hickel. Hickel lost the primary by 98 votes and would launch a write-in campaign in the general election. Hammond would be reelected governor. There was also a well-financed independent candidate in the race, Tom Kelly, who was Commissioner of Natural Resources
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is a department within the government of Alaska. The Department of Natural Resources develops, conserves and enhances natural resources for present and future Alaskans....
under Hickel and his successor, Keith Miller
Keith Harvey Miller
Keith Harvey Miller is an American Republican politician from Alaska. Miller was the second Lieutenant Governor of Alaska under Walter Hickel from 1966 until Hickel's resignation to become U.S. Secretary of Interior in the Cabinet of President Richard M...
. There was little hope for the AIP ticket to gain much attention due to these factors. The Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee, Chancy Croft, placed third in the general election due to the continued interest in Hammond vs. Hickel beyond the primary election.
Vogler also ran for governor in 1982 and 1986. Several incidents during these campaigns raised his profile as a "colorful character." In the 1982 race, Vogler was taken to task for comments made during a debate. The issue of moving Alaska's capital appeared during the election, as it has on and off since 1960. The media and political pundits took great fun over Vogler's debate remarks that Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
should "nuke the glaciers" along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska
Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.The entire shoreline of the Gulf is...
and build a freeway to Juneau. Vogler would later contend that these comments were misinterpreted. Vogler's running mate in 1982 was Roger "Dee" Roberts (born March 27, 1937). Roberts had previously been a candidate for state Senate
Alaska Senate
The Alaska Senate is the upper house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The Senate consists of twenty members, each of whom represents an equal amount of districts with populations of about 31,347 people . Senators serve four-year terms, without term...
in 1974 under the banner of the American Independent Party
American Independent Party
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice...
. His family have continued as political activists in Fairbanks to this day.
Vogler's running mate in 1986 was Al Rowe (born May 11, 1932), a Fairbanks resident and former Alaska State Trooper
Alaska State Troopers
The Division of Alaska State Troopers is the state police agency of Alaska. It is a division of the Alaska Department of Public Safety . The Alaska State Troopers are a full service law enforcement agency and handle both traffic and criminal law enforcement...
. Rowe took out a series of newspaper ads, fashioning himself in the image of Sheriff Buford Pusser. These ads were a major attention getter during the race. Between Rowe's ads and the turmoil existing in the Republican Party
Republican Party of Alaska
The Republican Party of Alaska is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Alaska, headquartered in Anchorage.It is the dominant or majority party in Alaska. Following the elections of 2008, Republicans hold the following statewide executive offices:*Governor*Lt...
over the nomination of Arliss Sturgulewski
Arliss Sturgulewski
Jane Arliss Sturgulewski is a retired businesswoman and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. In a political career in which she started appearing in the spotlight in 1975, she represented Anchorage in the Alaska Senate from 1979 to 1993...
, the AIP ticket was able to garner 5.5 percent of the vote, gaining the AIP status in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
as a recognized political party for the first time.
Vogler quit running for public office after the 1986 election. However, he would play a significant role in the next gubernatorial race. In 1990, as party chair, Vogler paved the way for the vacation of the nominated party ticket of John Lindauer and Jerry Ward and their replacement with Hickel and Jack Coghill
Jack Coghill
John Bruce "Jack" Coghill was the eighth lieutenant governor of Alaska, serving from 1990 to 1994 under Governor Walter Hickel. Both were members of the Alaskan Independence Party...
. Coghill had been nominated as the lieutenant governor candidate by the Republican Party, but was dealing with serious compatibility and philosophical issues with gubernatorial nominee Sturgulewski. The ticket of Hickel and Coghill would go on to win the election.
Disappearance and death
Vogler disappeared under suspicious circumstances in May 1993, just weeks before he was scheduled to give a speech to the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
on Alaskan independence, sponsored by the government of Iran. Convicted thief Manfried West confessed to having murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed Vogler the following year in what he described as an illegal plastic explosive sale gone bad. West, trying to recant, later said the confession was a lie, but this was before Vogler's body had been discovered. Vogler's remains were discovered in a gravel pit east of Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
in October 1994 following an anonymous tip. They had been wrapped in a blue tarp secured with duct tape and were identified through fingerprint analysis. Manfried West was convicted of murdering Joe Vogler and is serving an 80 year sentence.
In the opinion of AIP Chair Lynette Clark and other AIP leaders, however, Vogler's death reflected more than a dispute with West. Clark has stated, "He was executed." She notes that Vogler was about to appear before the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
to address the issue of Alaskan independence: "The United States government would have been deeply embarrassed. And we can't have that, can we?" There was also speculation that as an aging gold miner, he was merely viewed as an easy target for robbery. Although this theory has come up over the years, it was never validated.
As he had publicly promised on numerous occasions, Vogler was buried in Dawson City, Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, fulfilling his wish that he not be buried under the American flag. His second wife, Doris Louise, who died of cancer in January 1992, is buried next to him.
Legacy
Having graduated from law school, though never formally practicing law, Vogler nonetheless engaged in actions through the courts for most of his years in Fairbanks. These ranged from his dispute with Paul Griemann, through battling the Fairbanks North Star Borough over a great many issues in its earlier years, particularly regarding subdivisionsSubdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
he developed, to attempting to enforce subdivison covenants, to launching the earliest salvo in the fight for ballot access
Ballot access
Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...
for minor parties in Alaska, through to his efforts regarding seeking formal recognition of his case on statehood issues.
Vogler had launched many political and secessionist efforts behind the scenes in addition to his more high profile runs for office. Perhaps the best known of these was the lawsuit Vogler v. Miller
Terry Miller (politician)
Terry Miller was the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, 1978–1982.Miller was born in San Francisco, California. His father, Conrad B. Miller, came to Fairbanks, Alaska in 1949 and soon began work as a fur trader in rural Alaska...
in 1982, a ballot access case. Vogler v. Miller would be heavily cited in succeeding ballot access cases later in the decade, such as Sykes
Jim Sykes
James L. "Jim" Sykes is a radio journalist and producer, and Green Party politician, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The founder of the Green Party of Alaska, Sykes initiated a lawsuit, Sykes v. Alaska, relying heavily upon case law established in the earlier ballot access lawsuits of Joe Vogler...
v. Alaska, which more directly widened ballot access and party recognition beyond the two major parties.
Vogler was noted for an antipathy
Antipathy
Antipathy is dislike for something or somebody, the opposite of sympathy. While antipathy may be induced by previous experience, it sometimes exists without a rational cause-and-effect explanation being present to the individuals involved....
toward aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
s, to the point where he installed covenants in his subdivisions requiring homeowners to cut and destroy all poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
, cottonwood and aspen trees on a regular basis. This particular requirement would be challenged in court, with Vogler losing after a lengthy battle through the judicial system. The term "Voglerizer" has entered into the informal vernacular around the Fairbanks area to describe brush trimmers used on highway rights-of-way.
Interest in Vogler was briefly reignited during a period in the late 2000s, when intense media scrutiny of Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
during her governorship and vice-presidential candidacy turned up a Palin family connection to the AIP. Other events of note happened during the same time period, though mostly particular to Fairbanks. Fairbanks-based singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Caleb Aronson released his debut album, Livengood
Livengood, Alaska
Livengood is a census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 29 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Livengood is located at ....
, in March 2006. The first track on Disc 2, "Moving Dirt," is a story song about Vogler's life and death. On July 7, 2006, Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?
Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?
Whad'Ya Know? is an American comedy, interview, and quiz radio show. Hosted by Michael Feldman, it was created in 1985. It is produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed weekly by Public Radio International...
broadcast live from the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Vogler's name was brought up during the broadcast, the mention eliciting a significant cheer from the audience. Also in 2006, the AIP released a compact disc entitled Joe Was Right! Volume 1. The disc consists of an interview given on KFAR
KFAR
KFAR is a commercial radio station programming news/talk in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States, broadcasting on 660 AM. It airs Fox News Radio and carries national radio programs thru Compass Media Networks, Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One, amongst others. Of the two AM news/talk stations...
's long-running Problem Corner talk show on October 18, 1982, during his second campaign for governor.
Personal life
Vogler had a daughter (Marilyn, born at St. Joseph's HospitalSt. Joseph's Hospital (Fairbanks, Alaska)
St. Joseph's Hospital, the very first hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska was built in 1906.-History:Fairbanks was a frontier town when a Jesuit priest named Rev. Francis M. Monroe decided to build a church and hospital. The church stood in the heart of town, while the hospital, also named St...
on April 6, 1945) and son (Joseph Jr., born ca. 1947) by his first wife, but by all accounts (including his own), he had become estranged from this part of his family. Vogler met his second wife, Doris, in 1964 and remained with her until her death from cancer in 1992. His nephew, Lynn Vogler (born ca. 1959), was named the executor of his estate in a will he wrote following the death of Doris. Previously unknown to his Fairbanks friends, Lynn arrived in Fairbanks shortly after his death and endured a contentious battle in Fairbanks during 1993 and 1994 amongst his friends, supporters and hangers-on over his legacy as well as his physical property. Lynn Vogler continues to the present as the executor of the estate.
Sources
- Election Candidate Pamphlet, State of Alaska, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, 1974
- Official Election Pamphlet, State of Alaska, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, 1978, 1982 and 1986
- Official Returns By Election Precinct, State of Alaska, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, 1974, 1978 and 1982
- Official Returns, State of Alaska, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, 1986
- "Like A Tree to the Soil": A History of Farming in the Tanana ValleyTanana ValleyThe Tanana Valley is a lowland region in central Alaska in the United States, on the north side of the Alaska Range where the Tanana River emerges from the mountains.-Climate:...
, 1903 to 1940. Josephine E. Papp and Josie Phillips. UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, 2007.