Background
Green, Lyda was born on October 16, 1938 in Livingston, Texas, United States.
Green, Lyda was born on October 16, 1938 in Livingston, Texas, United States.
Sam Houston State University.
Green, as a political newcomer, was elected to the Alaska Senate in 1994, defeating a 22-year Democratic incumbent in a district representing most of the population of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Green served a total of fourteen years in the Senate and was its president in her final two years in office. She was first elected in 1994 by defeating Democratic incumbent Jalmar M. "Jay" Kerttula, who was the longest-serving member in the history of the Alaska Legislature.
Kerttula was long regarded as vulnerable, and was re-elected in 1984 with under 52% of the vote just as the Matanuska-Susitna Borough was starting to trend Republican.
He was twice re-elected after that against veteran campaigners. Given the political atmosphere at the time, Green benefited from being a first-time candidate running against an incumbent who had been in office for over 30 years.
Senator Green decided not to run for reelection in 2008 and was replaced by Republican Senator Linda Menard, whose husband Curtis had served in the Senate several years before Green. Green has been critical of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.
When United States Senator John McCain of Arizona nominated Palin to be his vice presidential running mate in the 2008 United States presidential election, Green said:
She"s not prepared to be governor.
How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she"s done to this state. What would she do to the nation? while mentioning an oil tax increase Palin supported, as well as a $500 million state subsidy to a Canadian firm for a natural gas pipeline project, even though the pipeline was not guaranteed.
Two Democratic members of the Alaska House of Representatives, also from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, were defeated in the same election. Lyda Green was a member of the Alaska Senate, serving from 1995 to 2009.
Married Curtis Green. Children: Shelton, Kristie, Bradley.
