Ellis served as a member of the
Alaska House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993. He was then elected to the
Alaska Senate, representing the H district from 1993 to 2003. Ellis represented the L district from 2003 to 2013 and the I district from 2013 to 2017. From 2009 to 2011, Ellis served as majority leader of the Senate. Outside of politics, Ellis was a commissioner of the
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and operated several small businesses. == Personal life and death ==