William Allen Egan was a pivotal American politician known as the father of Alaskan statehood. Born in Valdez, Alaska, he became a central figure in the territory's political landscape, serving as a delegate and presiding officer of the Alaska Constitutional Convention. His relentless advocacy was instrumental in the passage of the Alaska Statehood Act, leading to his election as the first governor of the new state in 1959. Egan served two non-consecutive terms, guiding Alaska through its early years of statehood and its recovery from the devastating 1964 Good Friday earthquake.