Nick Begich
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Begich, Sr. (April 6, 1932 – undetermined, presumed dead October 16, 1972) was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives
from Alaska
. He disappeared in a plane crash in Alaska in 1972. His son Mark Begich
is currently the junior U.S. Senator from Alaska.
immigrant, Nick Begich was born and raised in Eveleth, Minnesota
. His father, John Begich (Begić), was born in Podlapača, Croatia
. He attended Saint Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota
before pursuing his doctorate at the University of Colorado
and the University of North Dakota
.
. He later worked in the administrative offices of Anchorage School District
, eventually becoming Superintendent of Schools at Fort Richardson. In 1962, Begich was elected to the Alaska Senate
, where he served for eight years. Begich also taught political science
during parts of this period at the University of Alaska at Anchorage
.
In 1970, Begich was elected to Alaska's only seat
in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating the Republican
banker Frank Murkowski
– who later served as a U.S. Senator and then the Governor of Alaska. In 1972 for his re-election, Begich was opposed by the Republican state senator Don Young
.
Posthumously, Begich won the 1972 election with 56% to Don Young's 44%. However, after Begich's declared death, a special election was held and Mr. Young won this seat and still serves in this position as of 2011.
along with House Majority Leader Hale Boggs
of Louisiana
when the plane disappeared during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau. Also on board were Begich's aide, Russell Brown; and the pilot, Don Jonz. The four were heading to a campaign fundraiser for Begich.
In an enormous search effort, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force search and rescue
planes looked for the four men and their airplane. On November 24, 1972, after proceeding for thirty-nine days, the air search was called off. Neither the wreckage of the plane nor the pilot's or passengers' remains have ever been found. All were declared dead
on December 29, 1972. The accident prompted Congress to pass a law mandating emergency locator transmitters in all United States civil aircraft.
, Nichelle, Tom, Stephanie, Paul, and Nick. His son Mark Begich is currently the junior U.S. Senator from Alaska. He won this position after defeating the Republican Party
's longest serving Senator, Ted Stevens
, who was killed in a plane crash nearly two years later.
Nick Begich's widow, Pegge Begich, ran for the House of Representatives seat in 1984 and 1986, but she was defeated by the incumbent, Mr. Young. She is retired now, and she resides in Nevada
. Their eldest son, Nick Begich, Jr., is well known in Alaska for his own political activities. He has been twice elected as the president of both the Alaska Federation of Teachers and the Anchorage Council of Education. Nick Begich, Jr.'s current research focuses on the methods, actions, and ethics of various American governmental organizations. He has gained much popularity amongst conspiracy theorists, thanks to his tireless investigation of H.A.A.R.P.
He authored the conspiracy theory book Angels Don't Play this H.A.A.R.P. and appeared on the TV show Conspiracy Theory.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 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...
. He disappeared in a plane crash in Alaska in 1972. His son Mark Begich
Mark Begich
Mark Peter Begich is the junior United States Senator from Alaska and a member of the Democratic Party. A former mayor of Anchorage, he served on the Anchorage Assembly for almost ten years prior to being elected mayor in 2003...
is currently the junior U.S. Senator from Alaska.
Early life and education
The son of a CroatianCroats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
immigrant, Nick Begich was born and raised in Eveleth, Minnesota
Eveleth, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,865 people, 1,717 households, and 971 families residing in the city. The population density was 611.0 people per square mile . There were 1,965 housing units at an average density of 310.6 per square mile...
. His father, John Begich (Begić), was born in Podlapača, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. He attended Saint Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
before pursuing his doctorate at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
and the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
.
Career
Begich worked as an expeditor and then a counselor in Anchorage, AlaskaAnchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
. He later worked in the administrative offices of Anchorage School District
Anchorage School District
The Anchorage School District manages all public schools within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the 93rd largest school district in the United States, serving nearly 50,000 students at over 90 schools. As one of the United States' largest districts, it is often...
, eventually becoming Superintendent of Schools at Fort Richardson. In 1962, Begich was elected to the Alaska 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...
, where he served for eight years. Begich also taught political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
during parts of this period at the University of Alaska at Anchorage
University of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
.
In 1970, Begich was elected to Alaska's only seat
Alaska's At-large congressional district
Alaska's At-large congressional district comprises the entire state of Alaska. This congressional district has the largest land area and lowest population density of any district in the United States...
in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
banker Frank Murkowski
Frank Murkowski
Francis Hughes Murkowski is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 until 2002 and the eighth Governor of Alaska from 2002 until 2006.- Early life and career :...
– who later served as a U.S. Senator and then the Governor of Alaska. In 1972 for his re-election, Begich was opposed by the Republican state senator Don Young
Don Young
Donald Edwin "Don" Young is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1973. He is a member of the Republican Party.Young is the 6th most senior U.S. Representative and the 2nd most senior Republican Representative, as well as the 2nd most senior Republican in Congress as a whole...
.
Posthumously, Begich won the 1972 election with 56% to Don Young's 44%. However, after Begich's declared death, a special election was held and Mr. Young won this seat and still serves in this position as of 2011.
Disappearance
On October 16, 1972, he was aboard a twin engine Cessna 310Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is an American six-seat, low-wing, twin-engined monoplane that was produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engined aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II.-Development:...
along with House Majority Leader Hale Boggs
Hale Boggs
Thomas Hale Boggs Sr. , was an American Democratic politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Orleans, Louisiana...
of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
when the plane disappeared during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau. Also on board were Begich's aide, Russell Brown; and the pilot, Don Jonz. The four were heading to a campaign fundraiser for Begich.
In an enormous search effort, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
planes looked for the four men and their airplane. On November 24, 1972, after proceeding for thirty-nine days, the air search was called off. Neither the wreckage of the plane nor the pilot's or passengers' remains have ever been found. All were declared dead
Death in absentia
Death in absentia is a legal declaration that a person is deceased in the absence of remains attributable to that person...
on December 29, 1972. The accident prompted Congress to pass a law mandating emergency locator transmitters in all United States civil aircraft.
Election history
| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democrat | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 43,577 | 36,785 | |||||||
| 1970 | 35,947 | 44,137 | |||||||
| 1972 | 41,750 | 53,651 |
Personal life
Nick Begich had six children, named MarkMark Begich
Mark Peter Begich is the junior United States Senator from Alaska and a member of the Democratic Party. A former mayor of Anchorage, he served on the Anchorage Assembly for almost ten years prior to being elected mayor in 2003...
, Nichelle, Tom, Stephanie, Paul, and Nick. His son Mark Begich is currently the junior U.S. Senator from Alaska. He won this position after defeating the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
's longest serving Senator, Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
, who was killed in a plane crash nearly two years later.
Nick Begich's widow, Pegge Begich, ran for the House of Representatives seat in 1984 and 1986, but she was defeated by the incumbent, Mr. Young. She is retired now, and she resides in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Their eldest son, Nick Begich, Jr., is well known in Alaska for his own political activities. He has been twice elected as the president of both the Alaska Federation of Teachers and the Anchorage Council of Education. Nick Begich, Jr.'s current research focuses on the methods, actions, and ethics of various American governmental organizations. He has gained much popularity amongst conspiracy theorists, thanks to his tireless investigation of H.A.A.R.P.
High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program
The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program is an ionospheric research program jointly funded by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the University of Alaska, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ....
He authored the conspiracy theory book Angels Don't Play this H.A.A.R.P. and appeared on the TV show Conspiracy Theory.
External links
- EarthPulse, one of Nick Begich Jr's sites dedicated to energy pollution