Spouse: Kathy
Children: Three daughters
Occupation: Banking, former bank president, real estate development
Alaska Residency: 55 years.
Dave was born and raised in Anchorage. During their thirty years of marriage, Dave and his family have lived in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. For the past twenty years Anchorage has been home.

Education:
West Anchorage High School graduate 1970
Duke University, BA Economics, 1974
Gonzaga University, MBA, 1998

Work Experience:

Interests:
Riverboating, hiking, snow machining, performing in a rock and roll band, tennis.

Dave was born in the old Providence Hospital at 9th and L in 1952. He attended Inlet View Elementary, Central Junior High, and West High, graduating in 1970. Dave earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Duke University in 1974. While in high school and college, Dave worked in a variety of jobs at Tastee Freeze, an airplane engine repair shop, a salmon cannery, and performed on weekends in the rock and roll band, Enterprise.

Dave's grandparents, Lucy and Warren Cuddy, moved their family in 1933 from Valdez to Anchorage where they eventually acquired an interest in what is now known as the First National Bank Alaska. Dave first began working as a teller at the bank during the summer of 1972. After graduating from college, he began a full time career in banking. He spent the next dozen years living and working in branches all over the state. He opened and managed branches in Palmer, Homer, Fairbanks, and Anchorage. While working and living across the state, Dave developed a deep understanding of and appreciation for the diversity of Alaskans, the beauty of our state, and the abundant opportunities it offers. While opening the Palmer branch in 1976, Dave met and began dating his future wife, Kathy Frosig.

While serving as Chairman of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee in 1979, Dave became aware of the urgent need for political change. The voices for conservative spending practices, led mainly by Republicans and Libertarians, were gaining favor with the electorate. While not planning to become a professional politician, Dave thought it was a moment when he could make a difference. In 1980 he ran for the State House and was elected to represent downtown Anchorage. While in Juneau, Dave formed a political alliance with Representatives Dick Randolph and Ken Fanning. The three challenged the ever-increasing spending of the Democrat-Republican coalition. But in that time of increasing revenues, they could not make a meaningful difference. When other like-minded persons expressed interest in running for his seat, Dave stepped aside and chose to return to the private sector instead of seeking re-election.

After serving in the legislature, Dave resumed his career with First National where he led the bank to record profits while serving as its president from 1993 to 1995. While Alaska, with its productive workers, oil wealth and other natural resources, seemed immune from national problems, Dave saw real problems looming on the national horizon, problems big enough to justify a difficult race. He left the bank in 1995 to run for the U.S. Senate. Although Dave lost the open primary to Ted Stevens in 1996, the public discussion for reform that Dave ran on continues to dominate today’s debate and the call for change now resonates across the political spectrum.

Following the Senate race, Dave earned a MBA from Gonzaga University. In order to avoid conflicts of interest with the thousands of persons and businesses he had personally helped to succeed, Dave pursued real estate development in the Lower 48. As stressful and time-consuming as he found working outside while continuing to live Alaska, it was the right thing to do.

Dave and Kathy recently celebrated thirty years of marriage. During those years, they took joy in raising their three daughters. Dave believes, as we all do, there is no better place to raise a family than Alaska. In addition to his family, Dave's passions include river boating, hiking in the mountains, film production, and playing in a rock and roll band.

"Alaska has vast resources and spirited, talented people. Our Great Land has an unbounded future, provided we strive to be good stewards of our resources and environment, and the opportunities they provide. Alaska was built by hard-working Native and pioneering people. A strong, vibrant community remains the base of our dynamic future. Government must never limit the extent of our reach; instead, it must serve to unleash our potential. I am committed to ensuring Alaska's bright future, for our generation and future generations of Alaskans."

- Dave Cuddy

Paid for by Alaskans for Cuddy
555 West Northern Lights Blvd #222
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
907-952-1720