Former Alaska Gov. Hammond dies at 83

LAKE CLARK, Alaska, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Former Alaska Gov. Jay Hammond, known best for creating the fund that gives every Alaskan an oil dividend check each year, has died in his sleep at age 83.

Hammond died at his Lake Clark, Alaska, home late Monday. His wife, Bella, said he had various ailments, but spent a typical day.

"He just went to sleep and didn't get up this morning," she told the Anchorage Daily News.

"He was kind of a larger than life, quintessential Alaskan," said state Sen. Fred Dyson, R-Eagle River.

"He was a war hero, a man of great personal Christian faith, really a physical stud," Dyson said "He done it all. He fished, he hunted and lived in the bush."

Hammond, a New York state native who was elected governor in 1974 and served eight years, guided Alaska through turbulent years of oil pipeline growth while protecting the environment.

Gov. Frank Murkowski said the state had lost a giant.

"He was a philosopher, a guide, a pilot, a poet, a visionary, "Murkowski said. "His contribution is evident when every Alaskan receives a Permanent Fund dividend."