Sean R. Parnell (born November 19, 1962) is an American politician. He served as the 12th Governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014. Parnell assumed the office of governor on July 26, 2009 after Governor Sarah Palin resigned. He was sworn in at the Governor's Picnic in Fairbanks, Alaska. After finishing Palin's term, Parnell was elected to a full term as Governor in November 2010, becoming the first unelected Alaska Governor to be later elected in his own right. In 2014, he lost re-election to Independent Bill Walker.