Paul Laxalt, who served 12 years as a U.S. senator from Nevada and was a force in national politics during the Reagan years, has died at the age of 96.
Laxalt, the son of Basque immigrants, rose to become a confidante of the 40th president’s and one of his closest allies on Capitol Hill, and in 1987 made a brief bid for the Republican nomination to succeed him.
Born in Reno and raised in Carson City, Laxalt attended law school after returning from World War II combat duty in the Pacific and joined the Carson City firm of his father-in-law, who would become a federal judge. He was elected the city’s district attorney in 1954 and graduated to statewide office, winning the race for lieutenant governor in 1962.
An avowed conservative, his public friendship with Barry Goldwater (his “political godfather,” he called him) cost him a shot at the Senate in 1964, but he quickly recovered to win the governorship two years later, serving from 1967-71 at a crucial time for the Nevada gaming industry. He worked to repair damaged ties with the federal government over organized crime in Las Vegas and encouraged casino investments by the likes of Howard Hughes, which were instrumental in diminishing the mob’s influence. He also helped to launch the state’s community college system and medical school and was a force in efforts to preserve Lake Tahoe, where he worked closely with then-Governor Reagan of California, the two developing an enduring friendship.
After a stint in a family casino business, he returned to politics in 1974, winning a seat in the Senate, where he served two terms.
With Reagan’s election to the presidency in 1980, he quickly became known in the national press as the “First Friend.” In an age before today’s polarized politics he was able to function as an important link between the administration and the Senate and was widely respected on both sides of the aisle for his ability to build bridges between conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. In 1983, he was appointed to a special post as general chairman of the Republican Party.
He headed all three of Reagan’s presidential campaigns while also helping to promote the national political careers of several Nevadans, including U.S. Rep. Barbara Vucanovich, a long-time aide and the first woman from Nevada to win federal elected office, and Reno attorney Frank Fahrenkopf, who would serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee and go on to become an influential lobbyist for the casino industry as the first president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Gaming Association.
Paul Laxalt’s grandson, Adam Laxalt, is the Republican candidate for Nevada governor in the upcoming November election.
