Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel (born May 13th, 1930) is an American politician who was the 43rd President of the United States, the first Alaskan to hold the office, and the oldest in history, at age 79 when he took office. Before that, he served as a Senator from Alaska in the 1970s, as well as a member of Alaska's House of Representatives. He is an Army veteran, a graduate of Columbia University, and a member of the Democratic Party. Since leaving office, Gravel has receded entirely from public view. He is working on an untitled memoir, due in 2014.