| William Raggio | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Nevada Senate from the Washoe 3rd district |
|
| In office 1972–2011 |
|
| Succeeded by | Greg Brower |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 30, 1926 Reno, Nevada |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Dale |
| Profession | attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
William Raggio (born 30 October 1926) is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Nevada Senate. He represented Washoe County's 3rd district from 1972 until his retirement in 2011. He is the longest-serving member in the history of the State Senate.
Contents |
Raggio was born in Reno, Nevada in 1926. In order to obtain his B.A. he attended Louisiana Tech University, University of Oklahoma, and University of Nevada, Reno. He obtained his J.D. from the Hastings College of Law at the University of California and the Boalt Hall School of Law at University of California, Berkeley.
He then went to the military. He was a member of the United States Navy Reserve (USNR) and became a Second Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR). He started his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney of Washoe County (1952–1958) and was the D.A. of the county (1958–1970).[1]
Raggio first ran for public office statewide in 1970 against incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Howard Cannon, who defeated Raggio, the Republican nominee, with nearly 58% of the vote to serve a third term.
Incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Nevada Harry Reid decided not to run for another term, in order to run for the U.S. Senate. This left an open seat. Democrat nominee Robert E. Rose defeated Raggio, the Republican nominee, with an estimated 52% of the vote statewide.[2]
Raggio has served 12 special and 19 regular sessions, the longest Senate service in Nevada history. He was Senate Minority Floor Leader in 1977-1979, 1983–1986, 1991, and 2009. He was Senate Majority Floor Leader in 1987-1989 and 1993-2007.[3] He was Chairman of the Interim Senate Finance Committee in 1988-1990, 1993–1994, 1997–1998, and 2001-2002. He was Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from 1987–1989 and 1993-2005. He was also Chairman of the Legislative Committee on Education from 1997–1999 and 2001-2003.[4]