In the history of the State of Nevada, there have been a number of
influential people who helped to create the state that exists today. Two
of those people are Pat McCarran and Grant Sawyer. Although the two had
some differences, their achievements stand out as some of the most
important achievements in the state's history. They had their failings,
but each did his part to enrich the lives of the population.
Pat McCarran was a sheepherder of Irish-Catholic decent, who was not
from an over-privileged background. As a child, he didn't begin schooling
until a late age, and never really developed a social life, even as an
adult. He attended the University of Nevada with modest grades, but was
forced to drop out when his father became ill ("Pat McCarran", 2000).
McCarran was elected to the Nevada Legislature in 1902. His platform
at the time included pro-labor stances and anti-trust beliefs. He soon
became recognized as a formidable force in the legislature. He became a
correspondent for a Reno newspaper, and used his writing ability to present
his political agendas to the public ("Pat McCarran", 2000).
In 1904, McCarran ran for the Nevada Senate seat, and lost miserably.
He educated himself in law, and became a successful attorney. Yet by
1907, his comments about the existing labor problems and the government's
responses to them had made him an outcast, and a political rebel. When he
ran for Congress in 1908, the Democratic Party did not back him ("Pat
McCarran was elected to the Nevada Supreme Count in 1912; a crowning
victory for a self educated man. Yet he used his new position to attempt
to further his political career, and in 1916 ran for a seat in the U.S.
Senate. At the time, a Democrat was already in the seat, and the
Democratic Party was split between the two candidates. McCarran again lost
by a vast margin, but the move hindered his la...