Charles Russell; Former Nevada Governor, Congressman
Charles Russell, former governor and before that Nevada’s lone congressman, died of a heart attack Wednesday. He was 85.
Russell died two days after being hospitalized for breathing problems. He had emphysema, a lung illness, and suffered cardiac arrest, his son Todd said.
Russell, a Republican, was governor from 1951 to 1958, when he was defeated in a bid for a third term by Democrat Grant Sawyer.
He served two terms in the state Assembly, three in the state Senate and one term in Congress and spent several years administering the Marshall Plan in Europe and foreign aid programs in Paraguay.
Russell was publisher of the Ely Record between 1929 and 1946, competing against Vail Pittman’s Ely Daily Times. The two were political rivals, with Russell defeating Pittman twice for governor.
While governor, Russell pushed for creation of the state Gaming Control Board, the enforcement arm for the Nevada Gaming Commission, which oversees casinos.
Approval of the control board by the 1955 Legislature was viewed by Russell as one of his top achievements.
Russell is survived by his wife, Marjorie Anne, and five children.
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