Paul Laxalt

Paul Laxalt (between 1974 and 1987)

Paul Dominique Laxalt (* 2. August 1922 in Reno , Nevada ; † 6. August 2018 in McLean , Virginia ) was an American politician of the Republican Party . He was Governor of Nevada from 1967 to 1971 and US Senator for that state from 1975 to 1987 .

Life

Paul Laxalt was the son of the Basque shepherd Dominique Laxalt and his also Basque wife Thérèse nee. Alpetche, who ran a restaurant in Carson City , Nevada's capital. From 1940 to 1943 Laxalt studied at Santa Clara University in California . He then served as a medic in the US Army during World War II , including in the battle of the Gulf of Leyte during the US invasion of the Philippines . He graduated from the University of Denver and the University of Denver Law School after the war . From 1950 to 1954 he was district attorney for Ormsby County , Nevada, which was dissolved in 1969 .

In 1962, Laxalt was elected lieutenant governor of Nevada. He held this office until 1966. In 1964, he lost in the United States Senate election by less than 100 votes to incumbent Senator Howard Cannon . In 1966 he was elected governor of Nevada, ending the second term of his predecessor Grant Sawyer . In 1970 Laxalt decided against re-election as governor and was replaced by Mike O'Callaghan . In 1974 he ran again in the elections to the US Senate and this time was able to prevail against Lieutenant Governor Harry Reid , albeit with a majority of less than 600 votes.

During his time as governor, a close friendship developed with Ronald Reagan , who was then governor of California . Cooperation arose on many matters of mutual interest, particularly with regard to the protection of Lake Tahoe . During the later Ronald Reagan presidency, Laxalt was occasionally referred to as a First Friend .

When Ronald Reagan ran for the 1980 presidential election , Paul Laxalt was considered a possible vice-president , but George Bush was chosen by Ronald Reagan in his place. From 1983 to 1987 Laxalt was Chairman (General Chairman) of the Republican Party. In early 1987 he headed a short list of possible successors to Donald Regan , White House Chief of Staff . However, he declined to run in the primary elections as a Republican presidential candidate in 1988 (unsuccessfully) . Instead, he recommended Howard Baker for the post, which he accepted.

In 1985, Ronald Reagan sent Laxalt to the Philippines to inform incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos of the American government's concerns about economic development and the threat of a communist uprising. During the domestic crisis in early 1986, Marcos asked Senator Laxalt for his advice. He is said to have said to Marcos: "Cut and cut cleanly". 16 hours later, after 21 years of presidency, Marcos left the Philippines and never returned. A possible civil war was thus averted. 1987 Laxalt no longer stood in the Senate elections. His successor in the Senate was the later majority leader Harry Reid.

Laxalt lived in McLean ( Virginia ) and was married for the second time. His first wife was Jackylin Roos, with whom he has five daughters and one son. His second wife, Carol, has a daughter from a previous marriage. His brother Robert Laxalt was a writer.

Paul Laxalt died on August 6, 2018 at the age of 96.

Web links

Commons : Paul Laxalt  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Paul Laxalt in the National Governors Association (English)
• Paul Laxalt in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• The governors of Nevada

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Steven Roberst: Reagan's First Friend . In: The New York Times, March 21, 1983, SA26 (accessed online November 27, 2014).