Carl James Kunasek (1932 – July 20, 2026) was an American politician who served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate. From 1994 to 2001, he was chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Background Kunasek was born in Nebraska in 1932. He graduated from Creighton University.
Kunasek died on July 20, 2026, at the age of 94.
Career Kunasek was first elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 1972. He was re-elected in 1974, 1976, 1978 and 1980. He was then a member of the Arizona Senate from 1983 to 1989, serving as president of the Senate from 1987 to 1989. He was defeated for re-election in the Republican primary in 1988 by Jerry Gillespie. President George H. W. Bush appointed Kunasek as commissioner of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation in 1990. In 1994, Kunasek was elected to head the Arizona Corporation Commission and remained in the position until 2001.
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