Richard H Bryan

A Senator from Nevada; born in Washington, D.C., July 16, 1937; attended public school in Las Vegas, Nev., graduated from University of Nevada, Reno, 1959; received law degree from University of California (Hastings) College of Law, 1963; United States Army 1959-1960; admitted to the bar and commenced practice of law in Nevada, 1963; public defender 1966-1968; member of the Nevada senate 1972-1978; Nevada attorney general 1979-1983; Governor of Nevada 1983-1989; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1988; reelected in 1994, and served from January 3, 1989, to January 3, 2001; was not a candidate for reelection in 2000; chairman, Select Committee on Ethics (One Hundred Third Congress). Former U.S. Senator Richard H. Bryan is a shareholder at Lionel Sawyer & Collins and is a member of the Firm's Executive Committee. His practice focuses on government relations at the federal, state and local levels, particularly in the area of public land use issues. He is the Firm's designated representative for Lex Mundi, State Capital Global Law Firm Group, and Business Counsel, Inc., global organizations of major law firms. Based in the Firm's Las Vegas office, Senator Bryan also spends time in the Firm's other offices in Reno, Carson City and Washington, D.C. Richard Bryan remains an active community and business leader in Nevada. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Nevada Development Authority (NDA) and Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN). These two development authorities thrive in our business-friendly State and encourage businesses to relocate to Nevada. Senator Bryan is also on the Board of Trustees of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. He is Chairman of the Board for Preserve Nevada, a group whose priority is to preserve historical buildings, places, and historical artifacts in the State of Nevada. A native Nevadan, Senator Bryan began his legal career in 1964 as a Deputy District Attorney in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nevada. Two years later, he was named Clark County's first Public Defender. In 1968 Richard Bryan was elected to the Nevada State Assembly. He was re-elected to the State Assembly in 1970. In 1972, he was elected to the State Senate and re-elected in 1976. The former prosecutor won his first statewide election as Nevada's Attorney General where he played a major role in successfully defending Nevada's gaming regulatory structure in the Federal Courts. In 1982, he was elected to the first of two terms as Governor. Under his leadership as Nevada's Governor, economic diversification and the attraction of new businesses to Nevada became a priority. In 1988 he was elected to the first of two terms in the U.S. Senate. He was the only Senate member to simultaneously serve on these U.S. Senate Committees: Finance; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Banks, Housing and Urban Affairs. Senator Bryan is included in Best Lawyers in America for Government Relations Law. He also has an AV rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Directory.