John Bruce Coghill Jr. (born August 15, 1950) is an American politician who served as a member of the Alaska Senate, representing North Pole and other communities in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
[8] John Bruce Coghill Jr. was born on August 15, 1950, in Fairbanks, Territory of Alaska, to Frances Mae "Frannie" (née Gilbert) and John Bruce "Jack" Coghill, residents of nearby Nenana.
His paternal grandfather, William Alexander Coghill (1884–1947), was an English-born Scotsman who came to Alaska by way of Canada, settling first in Fairbanks and then in Nenana in the early years of both communities.
[3] He served for five years in the Air Force during the Vietnam War era, reaching the rank of staff sergeant.
[9] Coghill served as the majority leader for the Alaska State House of Representatives from 2003 to 2006.
Over the years, including in 2017–2018, Coghill was either Chair or a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
[10] He worked on criminal justice reform, an energy interior project, and addressing what he contended was "Federal Overreach".