Mike O'Callaghan

Mike O'Callaghan
23rd Governor of Nevada
In office January 4, 1971 – January 1, 1979
Lieutenant	Harry Reid (1971–1975) Robert E. Rose (1975–1979)
Preceded by	Paul Laxalt
Succeeded by	Robert List
Personal details
Born	Donal Neil O'Callaghan September 10, 1929(1929-09-10) La Crosse, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	March 5, 2004(2004-03-05) (aged 74) Paradise, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Resting place	Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery Boulder City, Nevada, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Carolyn O'Callaghan (1935–2004, his death)
Alma mater	University of Idaho
Religion	Roman Catholic
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1944–1948 1950–1952
Battles/wars	Korean War
Awards	Bronze Star Silver Star Purple Heart

Donal Neil "Mike" O'Callaghan (September 10, 1929 – March 5, 2004) was an American politician. He was the 23rd Governor of the U.S. state of Nevada from 1971 to 1979. He was a member of the Democratic Party.^[1]

Early life

Born in 1929 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, O'Callaghan lied about his age to join the Marines at 16 and served until 1948. In 1950 he joined the Air Force and served as an intelligence operator in the Aleutian Islands. He transferred to the Army in 1952 in order to see combat and lost part of his left leg after being hit by a mortar round during a battle in the Korean War. He was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star After his return to the United States, he became a high school teacher and boxing coach. He was Sen. Harry Reid's history teacher at Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada, and later promoted Reid's political career.

Political career

O'Callaghan's political career began in 1963, when then-Nevada Governor Grant Sawyer appointed him to head the new Department of Human Resources. In 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed O'Callaghan to be the regional director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness.

In 1966, O'Callaghan ran in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, but lost. In 1970, he received the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and won a surprising victory in the general election over his Republican opponent, Edward Fike. He proved to be an extremely popular governor and was reelected in 1974 by a four-to-one margin, the greatest landslide in a gubernatorial election in state history.

The last Nevada governor who was eligible for a third term, he chose not to run in 1978.^[2] After he left office he became the executive editor of the Las Vegas Sun, a job he held until his death. He was also the publisher of the Henderson Home News and Boulder City News. In the 1990s he monitored elections in Nicaragua and northern Iraq, and was a strong supporter of Israel.

Death

O'Callaghan died on March 5, 2004, of a heart attack at the age of 74, after collapsing during the morning mass hours at Saint Viator Catholic Church in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[2][3]

Legacy

O'Callaghan's legacy as Nevada politician and philanthropist survives through three structures that bear his name.Mike O'Callaghan Middle School opened on the east side of Las Vegas in 1991. The Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital is located on Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. A bridge that is a part of the highway bypass around the Hoover Dam, spanning the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona, bears O'Callaghan's name as well as that of former NFL player and Army veteran Pat Tillman. The Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge was completed in October 2010.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Nevada governor Mike O'Callaghan". National Governors Association. http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=ad58224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Vogel, Ed; Kalil, J. M. (6 March 2004). "'Governor Mike' dies: State mourns man of courage, generosity, determination". Las Vegas Review Journal. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Mar-06-Sat-2004/news/23373909.html. Retrieved October 15, 2011. 
3. ^ "Mike O’Callaghan, 74, Nevada Governor, Is Dead". The New York Times. AP. March 8, 2004. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/08/national/08OCAL.html. Retrieved October 15, 2011. 
4. ^ Illia & Cho 2010, p. 1. "Construction of the main crossing across Black Canyon, 'The Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge'—named after former Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan and professional football star Pat Tillman, killed as a soldier in Afghanistan—has not gone as smoothly as the approach work."

Citations

• Illia, Tony; Cho, Aileen (January 5, 2010). "Buffeted by High Winds and Setbacks, a Bypass Is Making History Near Hoover Dam". pp. 1–3. http://southwest.construction.com/features/2010/0105_HooverDamBypass-1.asp. Retrieved October 15, 2011. Same title but no timeline. 

External links

Biography portal

• Mike O'Callaghan at Find a Grave
• Las Vegas SUN obituary
• Las Vegas SUN remembrance
• Las Vegas CityLife remembrance
• Mike O'Callaghan Middle School web site

Political offices
Preceded by Paul Laxalt	Governor of Nevada 1971–1979	Succeeded by Robert List

Persondata
Name	O'Callaghan, Mike
Alternative names
Short description	United States politician, Democrat, Governor of Nevada 1971–1979
Date of birth	September 10, 1929
Place of birth	La Crosse, Wisconsin, U.S.
Date of death	March 5, 2004
Place of death	Paradise, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.