This week, Ira spoke with Bob Miller, Nevada’s longest serving governor.
Bob Miller, Nevada’s longest serving governor (1989-1999), has written a new autobiography, called “Son of a Gambling Man,” published by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press. The book traces Governor Miller’s journey from a casino family to the governor’s mansion.
The son of a gaming pioneer, Bob was directed away from the glitz and glamor of the Las Vegas tourism experience toward a more traditional upbringing – focused upon pursuit of a non-gaming career in legal advocacy.
While studying law, Mr. Miller worked during consecutive summers as a police officer for the Los Angeles and then the Las Vegas Sheriffs’ Offices. He became a member of the Clark County, Nevada and American Bar Associations in 1971.
Miller joined the District Attorney’s Office and shortly thereafter served as a lower court jurist – an elected office.
He left the bench to serve as Clark County’s District Attorney – another elected position. Miller became the first district attorney in Clark County ever to be re-elected – and had no opposition for this unprecedented second term.
Miller became Governor of Nevada, succeeding in mid-term the sitting governor who had been elected to the United States Senate. He then served two full terms, a total of ten years. As governor he became the CEO of a 14,000+ employee business with over thirty diverse departments and hundreds of operating divisions ranging from gaming regulation to economic diversification, from infrastructure management to growing Nevada’s international tourism and economic development market share.
