My Life in Nevada Politics

Richard H. Bryan began his political career in 1966 and served the Silver State for more than three decades in many roles, including deputy district attorney for Clark County; the first and youngest public defender in the nation; state assemblyman and senator; Nevada attorney general; governor and United States senator. Bryan is a proud graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno. He earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. John L. Smith is a native Nevadan, freelance journalist, and author of more than a dozen books, including Saints, Sinners, and Sovereign Citizens: The Endless War over the West's Public Lands. He writes an award-winning column for The Nevada Independent and contributes to many other publications. In 2016, he was inducted into the Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame.

• Chapter 1. Early YearsChapter 2. The Jewel of the DesertChapter 3. University Days in "The Biggest Little City"Chapter 4. Army LifeChapter 5. The Paper ChaseChapter 6. Getting StartedChapter 7. District Attorney DaysChapter 8. Establishing the Public Defender's OfficeChapter 9. Life as a Young LawyerChapter 10. The First CampaignChapter 11. The Gold Dust TwinsChapter 12. Expanding the BaseChapter 13. The First State Senate RaceChapter 14. The 1973 SessionChapter 15. The First Attorney General RaceChapter 16. The 1975 SessionChapter 17. Changing Times in the State SenateChapter 18. Nevada's Twenty-Seventh Attorney GeneralChapter 19. Defending NevadaChapter 20. A Dream Comes TrueChapter 21. The Real Work BeginsChapter 22. Life in the Governor's MansionChapter 23. Building a Stronger StateChapter 24. With Friends Like These: The "Screw Nevada Bill"Chapter 25. A New Term and New ChallengesChapter 26. On the RoadChapter 27. A New Race to RunChapter 28. A New Day—and New ChallengesChapter 29. Operation Desert StormChapter 30. The Clarence Thomas HearingChapter 31. Preserving GalenaChapter 32. The Packwood AffairChapter 33. Running against a Rising TideChapter 34. Protecting ConsumersChapter 35. Defending Nevada, a Pariah StateChapter 36. When Everyone Wins: The Public Land Management ActChapter 37. Intelligence Committee in a Time of CrisisChapter 38. The Clinton ImpeachmentChapter 39. Going Home to NevadaChapter 40. My Civic Rent and a Rainy DayAcknowledgmentsIndexAbout the Authors

"My Life in Nevada Politics is an important work because Richard Bryan is an important figure in Nevada politics. The book covers years in which the state saw huge changes in the Nevada experience, and the senator provides details of this change that give us the rich texture of the Silver State's politics at all levels. For those fascinated by the state's history and governance, this book will be of great interest."  - Jerome Edwards, professor emeritus of history at the University of Nevada, Reno, author of Pat McCarran: Political Boss of Nevada "Through well-chosen anecdotes detailing Bryan's early years in Las Vegas, rise through state government, and tenure in the U.S. Senate, My Life in Nevada Politics: The Memoirs of Senator Richard H. Bryan offers insights into many of the key decisions and events that shaped modern Nevada. The book also reveals how the qualities that Bryan embodied are so desperately missing today." - David F. Damore, PhD, professor of political science and executive director of The Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West