WASHINGTON -- Rep. Don Young, Alaska's sole representative in the U.S. House, married Anne Garland Walton on Tuesday in a small ceremony in a chapel in the U.S. Capitol building, on his 82nd birthday.
"Today, I'm happy to announce that my fiancée Anne and I have tied the knot. As I celebrate my 82nd birthday, Anne has given me the best gift anyone could ask for -- her hand in marriage. She jokingly says I will never forget our anniversary," Young said in a statement following the wedding.
Walton, 76, is a flight nurse from Fairbanks.
The pair, who announced their engagement last summer, have four children and 20 grandchildren between them, Young said.
Both are widowed. Young's wife of 46 years, Lu, died in 2009. Walton's husband George died in 2001.
"We have both known great love and experienced deep heartbreak. In many ways neither of us ever thought we would find love again, but sometimes life surprises you," Young said.
"Anne and I are truly fortunate to have found each other," Young said, and that he looks "forward to Alaskans getting to know my lovely bride better."
The Chaplain of the House of Representatives, Reverend Patrick J. Conroy, performed the civil ceremony.