Todd Palin Biography
Born Nationality Citizenship Alma mater Occupation Home town Spouse(s) Children Parents Todd Mitchell Palin Dillingham, Alaska American United States Wasilla High School, some college work oil field production supervisor Wasilla, Alaska Sarah Palin Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig Blanche Kellstrom Palin, Jim Palin
Todd Mitchell Palin (born 1965 [citation needed]), the First Gentleman of Alaska, is the husband of Sarah Palin who is the Governor of Alaska and presumptive 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate. Until recently, he worked as an oil field production manager in Alaska.
Early life and career
Todd Palin was born in Dillingham, Alaska to Blanche Kallstrom and Jim Palin. His mother is one-quarter Yup'ik (indigenous peoples of Alaska). In 1988, he married his high school sweetheart, Sarah Heath, in a courthouse ceremony to save her parents the cost of a wedding. Palin has taken some college courses but does not have a degree. Palin is a union member belonging to the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steelworkers). For 18 years, he worked for BP Oil in the North Slope oil fields of Alaska. In 2007, in order to avoid a conflict of interest, he took a leave from his job as production supervisor when his employer became involved in natural gas pipeline negotiations with his wife's administration. Palin later returned to BP in a non-management position, arguing the lack of a managerial position signified no conflict with his wife's dealings with the Petroleum industry. He is also a commercial salmon fisherman at Bristol Bay on the Nushugak River.
Public life
As First Gentleman, Palin has encouraged young Alaskans who cannot afford college to consider jobs in the oil and gas industry as an effective training ground and has advised the Governor on workforce development issues for the natural gas pipeline she supports. He is a community volunteer working in youth sports, coaching hockey and basketball. He first registered to vote in 1989, the year after he married Sarah Palin, and has never declared a political party affiliation. Governor Palin refers to him as the "First Dude". Todd Palin served as a judge in the 2008 Miss Alaska pageant.
Champion snowmobile racer
In 2008, while defending the Tesoro Iron Dog Championship, he was injured and broke his arm[11] when he was thrown 70 feet from his machine. He was sent to the hospital but managed to finish in fourth place. This race is the world's longest snowmobile race which traces the path of the Iditarod race with an extra journey of several hundred miles to Fairbanks added. He first competed in the race in 1993 and has been the champion four times. His racing co-pilot is Scott Davis. He has previously raced with Dusty Van Meter in the race and they were cochampions in 2000 and 2002.
Family life
The Palins have five children. Their son Track, the oldest, is in the United States Army and scheduled for deployment to Iraq on September 11, 2008. They have three daughters, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and a second son, Trig, who has Down syndrome and was born one month prematurely. Palin fishes and is a pilot holding an Airplane Single Engine Land license.
Involvement in Wooten and Monegan cases
Todd Palin's name has appeared repeatedly (in the Washington Post , The New York Times , The Daily Telegraph , among others) in news reports regarding the actions of Mike Wooten and the firing of Alaska State Trooper Walter Monegan. Todd Palin acted on behalf of Governor Sarah Palin and her family in discussing Wooten with Monegan. At one point, Todd Palin brought information prepared by himself and a private investigator to Monegan.