On July 24, four of Governor Hickel’s sons signed and sent a letter to Bernadette Wilson asking her to immediately stop “using images of Governor Hickel, material from his various political campaigns, and historical records of his leadership and achievements to promote your campaign.” The brothers state in the letter that their reason for the request is because “we know that Governor Hickel would never approve of what you are doing and the deception you are causing.”
Bernadette Wilson is one of twelve Republican candidates in the 2026 gubernatorial race and a frontrunner according to several polls. In promoting her campaign, Wilson frequently refers to her “Uncle Wally” or former Governor Walter J. Hickel. Governor Hickel served as Alaska’s second governor in 1966 and then was reelected in 1990 after serving as U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Nixon. Wilson has prominently featured Walter J. Hickel’s image, quotes, and connection to advance her own campaign for governor. Her relation to the former governor is through her maternal grandfather, Vernon Hickel, the brother of Walter J. Hickel.
According to the Hickel brothers, Wilson’s use of his image and “insistence that [she] is the bearer of his legacy” is “misleading and disrespectful.” They accuse Wilson of proliferating a “false narrative that there is some sort of close connection between Governor Hickel and [her] candidacy.” They emphasize: “‘There is no connection between Governor Hickel, who died sixteen years ago, and this campaign. There is no connection between the ideologies promoted by this campaign and the legacy of Governor Hickel.”
The Hickel brothers carry the legacy of their father, and own the Hickel Investment Company, a premier real estate holding company with key holdings in Anchorage, AK, including the Hotel Captain Cook.
Read the full letter here:
