Chic Hecht, 77; U.S. Senator From Nevada Known for His Gaffes
Chic Hecht, 77, a former U.S. senator from Nevada known as much for his verbal miscues as his political achievements, died Monday of cancer at a hospital in Las Vegas.
A onetime clothing store owner, Hecht decided to challenge Sen. Howard Cannon, a powerful Democrat, in 1982. Observers gave Hecht little chance of winning but the GOP candidate defeated Cannon, who was seeking his fifth term, by 6,000 votes after the senator was caught up in a Teamsters union scandal.
In the Senate, Hecht became known for his verbal gaffes, once referring to the proposed nuclear waste repository that the federal government wants to open in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as a “nuclear suppository.”
After failing in his bid for reelection, Hecht served five years as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas. Hecht later returned to private business.
He was born Mayer Jacob Hecht in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and was known as Chic, a childhood nickname given to him by an uncle. Educated at Washington University in St. Louis, Hecht served in Army intelligence in the early 1950s.
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Paul Marco, an actor best known for his roles as Kelton the Cop in several films by the cult favorite Ed Wood, died Sunday at his home in Hollywood. He was believed to be around 80.
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