Nevada history essays

Nevada history essays In the history of the State of Nevada, there have been a number of influential people who helped to create the state that exists today. Two of those people are Pat McCarran and Grant Sawyer. Although the two had some differences, their achievements stand out as some of the most important achievements in the state's history. They had their failings, but each did his part to enrich the lives of the population. Pat McCarran was a sheepherder of Irish-Catholic decent, who was not from an over-privileged background. As a child, he didn't begin schooling until a late age, and never really developed a social life, even as an adult. He attended the University of Nevada with modest grades, but was forced to drop out when his father became ill ("Pat McCarran", 2000). McCarran was elected to the Nevada Legislature in 1902. His platform at the time included pro-labor stances and anti-trust beliefs. He soon became recognized as a formidable force in the legislature. He became a correspondent for a Reno newspaper, and used his writing ability to present his political agendas to the public ("Pat McCarran", 2000). In 1904, McCarran ran for the Nevada Senate seat, and lost miserably. He educated himself in law, and became a successful attorney. Yet by 1907, his comments about the existing labor problems and the government's responses to them had made him an outcast, and a political rebel. When he ran for Congress in 1908, the Democratic Party did not back him ("Pat McCarran was elected to the Nevada Supreme Count in 1912; a crowning victory for a self educated man. Yet he used his new position to attempt to further his political career, and in 1916 ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate. At the time, a Democrat was already in the seat, and the Democratic Party was split between the two candidates. McCarran again lost by a vast margin, but the move hindered his la...