Table of Contents
TL;DR: Verne Martell is an Alaska businessman married to U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski since 1987. The former Alaska Pasta Company owner keeps a low profile while raising two sons with the senator.
In short: Who is Verne Martell? He is an Alaska businessman best known as the husband of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, whom he married in 1987. A former owner of the Alaska Pasta Company, Martell has stayed out of politics himself, keeping a deliberately private life even as his wife became one of the Senate's most prominent members.
According to official Congressional Directory listings on govinfo, Lisa Murkowski is listed as married to Verne Martell, with children Nicholas and Matthew.
Verne Martell is an Alaska businessman best known as the husband of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. The couple has been married since 1987, and Martell has kept a deliberately low public profile throughout his wife’s rise from the Alaska State House to the U.S. Senate. Before stepping back from the spotlight, he was the longtime owner of the Alaska Pasta Company, an Anchorage small business the couple sold in 2005.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Verne Martell |
| Age | Not publicly confirmed |
| Birth Date | Not publicly confirmed |
| Birthplace | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Businessman, former small business owner |
| Known For | Husband of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski; former owner of the Alaska Pasta Company |
| Marital Status | Married (Lisa Murkowski; since 1987) |
Early Life and Education
Very little is publicly known about Verne Martell’s early life or formal education. Unlike his wife — a lawyer born in Ketchikan, Alaska, in 1957, whose biography is extensively documented in Congressional directories — Martell has never held public office and has not published a biography. His date of birth and educational background have not been publicly confirmed, and this article does not repeat the speculative ages circulated on unofficial biography sites.
Career Journey
Martell’s working life was rooted in small business in Anchorage, Alaska. For years he owned and operated the Alaska Pasta Company, a local pasta business. When his wife entered national politics, the business became a matter of public record: in 2005 the couple sold the company, and Murkowski later amended her Senate financial disclosures to reflect installment income of more than $40,000 per year from the sale, a fact reported by the Associated Press at the time.
Beyond the pasta company, Martell has not been publicly linked to other corporate leadership roles, and he is generally described as retired or as supporting his wife’s political career, which involves extensive travel across Alaska. He has never been a lobbyist or a public office holder.
Major Achievements
- Built and ran a local Anchorage small business, the Alaska Pasta Company, for years before its 2005 sale.
- Supported a spouse’s three-decade political career — from the Alaska State House (1998–2002) through her appointment to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and subsequent elections, including her historic 2010 write-in reelection campaign.
- Maintained a private life while married to one of the Senate’s most prominent members, appearing alongside Murkowski at public and family events.
Personal Life
Martell married Lisa Murkowski in 1987, a year before she began her legal career’s next chapter. The couple has two sons, Nicolas and Matthew. In a 2018 interview with The New York Times, Murkowski credited her husband with stepping up for the children during her early political campaigns — the boys were five and six at the time — while also acknowledging that the couple does not always see eye to eye politically.
Murkowski has marked their milestones publicly, including their 31st anniversary in August 2018 and, in August 2024, “37 years of adventure together.” Martell keeps no public social media presence of note and rarely gives interviews.
Interesting Facts
- He is not related to the vaudeville drag performer Vern Martelle (sometimes spelled “Verne Martell”), a different person entirely whose scrapbooks are held by the GLBT Historical Society.
- The Alaska Pasta Company sale drew press attention in 2005 because of the Senate disclosure amendments it required.
- Murkowski has joked in interviews that at home she prefers talking about household projects — like flooring — over politics.
- Despite his wife’s national profile, Martell has remained almost entirely out of Washington’s political social scene.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Verne Martell?
Verne Martell is an Alaska businessman and the husband of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, to whom he has been married since 1987.
What did Verne Martell do for a living?
He was the longtime owner of the Alaska Pasta Company in Anchorage, which the couple sold in 2005. He is now generally described as retired.
How old is Verne Martell?
His birth date has not been publicly confirmed, so his exact age is not verifiable. Unofficial sites offer estimates, but these are not reliable.
When did Verne Martell marry Lisa Murkowski?
They married in 1987. Murkowski marked their 37th anniversary in August 2024.
Does Verne Martell have children?
Yes. He and Lisa Murkowski have two sons, Nicolas and Matthew.
Is Verne Martell a politician?
No. He has never held public office and has kept a low public profile throughout his wife’s political career.
What is the Alaska Pasta Company?
It was Martell’s Anchorage-based pasta business. Its 2005 sale generated installment income of more than $40,000 per year, disclosed in Murkowski’s Senate financial filings.
Was Verne Martell a co-founder of Neways?
Some low-quality biography pages make this claim, but there is no credible documentation supporting it, and it should be treated as unverified.
Where does Verne Martell live?
He is based in Alaska, primarily in the Anchorage area, with his wife.
Is Verne Martell on social media?
He maintains no notable public social media presence.
Sources & Verification
Identity and marriage details are confirmed by official Congressional Directory listings on govinfo.gov, which list Lisa Murkowski as “married to Verne Martell” with children Nicholas and Matthew. The Alaska Pasta Company sale and the amended Senate financial disclosures were reported by the Associated Press in 2008. Martell’s birth date, early life and education have not been publicly confirmed as of October 2026, and no net worth figure is verifiable.
For more biographies of people connected to public figures, see our profiles of Stephanie Ramos, Jamal Morton and Halsey.
