A tale of two statesmen

“A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.” James Freeman Clarke, American theologian and author

On April 21, the Churchill County Democrats held their first annual Sawyer-Bryan Dinner. For decades, this dinner was named after Presidents Jefferson and Jackson, but many modern-day Democratic groups are changing the name to be more in line with current Democratic values. After researching several possibilities, Churchill County Democrats chose the names of two of Nevada’s most outstanding Democratic leaders. Grant Sawyer and Richard Bryan epitomized Democratic values throughout their political careers.

Grant Sawyer served as district attorney for Elko County before being elected governor of Nevada serving from 1959 to 1967. At the time, because of its record of racism and segregation, Nevada was nicknamed the “Mississippi of the West.” The civil rights movement was growing, but political leaders in Nevada thought things were just fine here.

CCSN history professor Gary Elliot, who co-authored a book with Sawyer, said that governors are measured by the crises they face. “Sawyer faced a civil rights crisis, and he faced it squarely and honestly.” Sawyer sought to pass civil rights legislation, but there was opposition from many Nevada politicians, including some Democrats.

At the time, he had nothing to gain politically. For example, there were very few, if any, African-Americans holding state jobs. Las Vegas attorney Bob Faiss said, “Up until then you would go into any state office and see nothing but white faces.” Sawyer passed a law requiring that state hiring practices be colorblind. He also persuaded the casinos to open up non-menial jobs to black workers.

When the Watts riots broke out in 1965, Sawyer received a report of agitators coming to Las Vegas to start riots here. Acting proactively, Sawyer drove into the black neighborhoods of Las Vegas, talking to residents. Because of his prompt actions, there were no riots in Las Vegas.

Sawyer not only got civil rights legislation passed in Nevada, he was responsible for the passage of the Gaming Control Act of 1959 and the formation of the Nevada Gaming Commission, helping clean up Nevada’s image. Grant Sawyer didn’t do what was politically expedient at the time. He did what was best for Nevada, looking to the future. That’s what a statesman does.

Richard Bryan graduated from UNR in 1959 and became a member of the Nevada Bar in 1963. In 1966, he was selected as Nevada’s first public defender. There was no official public defender program at the time, and Bryan was asked to set up the system. This was not a popular decision; many attorneys thought such an office was unnecessary. In spite of the opposition, Bryan set up the program and it was a success. Fellow attorney Bob Peccole said of the new system, “Richard was so good at organizing, we immediately were a lot better than the attorneys being appointed. He helped create a system that not only went statewide, but the federal public defender’s office was created after that. He did that. No question.”

Bryan then served in the Nevada State Senate from 1972-1978. He was elected Nevada attorney general in 1979 and governor in 1983. In 1988, he ran for the U.S. Senate and won easily, serving two terms.

Bryan decided not to run for re-election in 2000 because “The Senate itself was becoming so acrimonious and confrontational. It was increasingly polarized and dysfunctional, although nowhere near as bad as is today.” Bryan used his abilities to serve Nevada, not himself, and is still one of the most beloved statesmen of our time.

Some people today think we need people who have never served in politics to run for higher office. They believe inexperience equals honesty. Experience doesn’t necessarily mean competence, but inexperience can mean less-than-adequate service for a time. Experience counts.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter said, “We forget that the most successful statesmen have been professionals. Lincoln was a professional politician.” Lincoln first ran for office in 1832, and won his first election in 1834. He was active in politics for decades before his election as president in 1860.

His example, like those of Grant Sawyer and Richard Bryan, illustrates what true statesmen are. Their work lives on because they knew what they were doing and worked for something lasting. We need to encourage our best and brightest to run, not call all politicians crooks and liars. As long as we do that, we’ll discourage those who truly want to serve. That benefits no one.

Jeanette Strong, whose column appears every other week, is a Nevada Press Association award-winning columnist. She may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.