[2][3] He received a master of business administration degree from the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 1969.
[2] Gillam worked for Foster & Marshall, a financial firm, until it was acquired by American Express in 1982.
After the 2016 presidential election, he was regarded as a contender to be secretary of the interior under Donald Trump, though Ryan Zinke was ultimately chosen for the position.
[2][5] He spent $30 million opposing the proposed Pebble Mine, which would have been close to his Lake Clark fishing lodge.
[5][8] Gillam died at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage on September 12, 2018, aged 72, from complications of a stroke he had the day prior.