Reply #6: Nick Begich's legacy lives on.. [View All]

[ReadTomPaine]

Mark is the son of the late Nick Begich, former House rep who disappeared with Hale Boggs in a suspicious plane crash while still in office in 1972.

Here's a clip from Wiki:

In 1970, Begich was elected to the at-large seat for the state of Alaska. In 1972, he faced a tight race against the Republican candidate, state senator Don Young. On October 16, 1972, he was aboard a twin engine Cessna 310 along with Congressman Hale Boggs of Louisiana, the Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, when the plane disappeared during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau. The only others on board were Begich's aide, Russell Brown, and the pilot, Don Jonz;<2> The four were heading to a campaign fundraiser for Begich.

In the largest search ever mounted by the U.S. military, Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force planes searched for the party. On November 24, 1972, after thirty-nine days, the search was abandoned. Neither the wreckage of the plane nor the pilot's and passengers' remains were ever found. The accident prompted Congress to pass a law mandating Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) in all U.S. civil aircraft. All were presumed dead on December 29, 1972, Begich was forty years old. The accident prompted Congress to pass a law mandating emergency locator transmitters (now called emergency position-indicating rescue beacons) in all U.S. civil aircraft. Posthumously, Begich won the 1972 election with 56% to Don Young's 44%. However, after Begich's declared death, a special election was called which was won by Young.

Nick Begich's younger son, Mark Begich, is the current mayor of Anchorage, Alaska.

The circumstances surrounding this disappearance have been suspect for years, with recent evidence indicating the FBI suppressed information that could have led to the discovery of the crash site during the rescue operation.