Walter S. Baring, Jr.

Walter S. Baring, Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Nevada's At-Large district
In office
January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by Clarence Clifton Young
Succeeded by David Towell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Nevada's At-Large district
In office
January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953
Preceded by Charles H. Russell
Succeeded by Clarence Clifton Young
Personal details
Born September 9, 1911
Goldfield, Nevada
Died July 13, 1975 (aged 63)
Los Angeles, California
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) A. Geraldine (Buchanan) Baring
Children Walter S. Baring III, William R. Baring, John B. Baring, Thomas J. Baring
Residence Reno
Profession Teacher
Religion Protestant/Christian

Walter Stephan Baring, Jr. (September 9, 1911 – July 13, 1975) was a United States Representative from Nevada.

Biography

Baring came from a political family. His father served on the Esmeralda County Commission for a while, until he moved the family to Reno, Nevada. His father then managed a furniture store. Baring graduated from the University of Nevada in 1934 with two bachelor's degrees. After graduating, he worked as a collector for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Naval Service

Baring served as a Member of the Nevada Assembly in 1936. He was subsequently reelected, but resigned in 1943 so that he could serve in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he was elected to the Reno City Council.

Nevada Representative

He was elected to represent the State of Nevada in the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1949 to 1953, and again from 1957 to 1973. He was first elected in 1948, unseating first-term Republican incumbent Charles H. Russell by 761 votes. He was reelected in 1950, but in 1952, he was unexpectedly defeated by Republican Clarence Clifton Young, who won that election by 771 votes. Baring ran against Young again in 1954, but Young again managed a narrow victory. In 1956, Young ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Alan Bible, who narrowly defeated him. That year, Baring ran for Congress again, defeating Las Vegas City Attorney Howard Cannon in the Democratic primary before winning the general. He was reelected by a landslide in 1958.

During his first term in Congress, Baring compiled a liberal voting record. After his return, however, he veered considerably to the right, billing himself as a "Jeffersonian States' Rights Democrat." He usually voted with the conservative southerners in his party . During the Presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, Baring strongly criticized the President's plan to pack the U.S. Supreme Court. He was critical of John F. Kennedy and voted against most of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs. This angered many in his own party, and Baring often claimed "No one likes Walter Baring but the voters." During the 1960s, he faced more strenuous opposition in the Democratic primaries than in the general elections.

Segregation Activist

An ardent segregationist, he contended that the Civil Rights Movement was influenced by Communists. He was nearly defeated for renomination in 1964 after leading the opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 1968, he praised the American Independent Party nominee for President, Alabama Governor George C. Wallace, and didn't endorse his own party's nominee, Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

In 1972, Baring was narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary by a considerably more liberal Democrat, Las Vegas attorney James Bilbray. Baring usually relied on large margins in the "Cow Counties" to prevail in the Democratic primary. However, this time Bilbray ran up enough of a margin in Clark and Washoe counties to end Baring's congressional career. Claiming that Bilbray had smeared him, Baring endorsed the Republican nominee, David Towell, helping him win the general election in an upset.

Last years

After leaving Congress, Baring remained interested in politics, even flirting with a run for governor in 1974. However, a bout of emphysema and heart strain ended that prospect. He died of heart and lung failure in 1975 at the age of 63.

Education

References

    External links

    United States House of Representatives
    Preceded by
    Clarence Clifton Young    		 United States House of Representatives, Nevada At-Large
    1957–1973     		Succeeded by
    David Towell
    Preceded by
    Charles H. Russell    		 United States House of Representatives, Nevada At-Large
    1949–1953     		Succeeded by
    Clarence Clifton Young