Abstract
The Oran K. Gragson Papers (1955-1998) contain former Las Vegas, Nevada Mayor Oran K. Gragson's professional and personal papers, and include correspondence, files concerning Gragson's tenure as Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, arbitration documents from disputes between labor unions and Las Vegas casinos, committee notes, financial plans, and documents from Clark County and Las Vegas government departments. The collection also contains city development plans, environmental reports, political party documents, memorabilia, ephemera, photographs, awards, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Oran K. Gragson Papers (1959-1988) contain former Las Vegas, Nevada Mayor Oran K. Gragson's professional and personal papers, and include correspondence, files concerning Gragson's tenure as Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, arbitration documents from disputes between labor unions and Las Vegas casinos, committee notes, financial plans, and documents from Clark County and Las Vegas government departments. The collection also contains city development plans, environmental reports, political party documents, memorabilia, ephemera, photographs, awards, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
These records are arranged into three series:
Series I. Correspondence, 1959-1975;
Series II. Professional Papers, 1961-1978;
Series III. 2005 Addition, 1955-1998.
Biographical / Historical Note
Politician Oran Kenneth Gragson was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, a position he held from 1959 to 1975. He was born February 14, 1911, near Tucamari, New Mexico. In 1919, his family moved to Arkansas, then later to Texas. Gragson came to the Las Vegas area in 1932, and worked at the Hoover Dam for a short time before finding employment in highway construction. He managed the Boulder Inn Casino and Dance Hall for a brief time, and later opened the North Main Furniture Store, followed by the Charleston Appliance Center.
In 1959, Gragson ran and was elected mayor of Las Vegas. Three years later he won the Republican nomination for governor, but lost to incumbent Grant Sawyer in the general election. Gragson won re-election as mayor in 1963, 1967, and 1971. During his time in office, he defeated two recall attempts. He chose not to seek a fifth term, and retired from office in 1975. In 1968, he won the Fiorello LaGuardia Award for "Outstanding Mayor of the Year."
During Gragson's tenure as mayor, he oversaw the construction of several major structures, including Cashman Field and the Las Vegas Convention Center. The City of Las Vegas acquired several properties for neighborhood parks and community centers, and Gragson founded the Mayor's Urban Renewal Committee, which primarily funded housing and community projects. Gragson increased highway funding and funds for a new city hall.
Gragson passed away on October 7, 2002, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sources:
Martin, Roy. "Oran K. Gragson." Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 7, 1999. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/oran-k-gragson
Preferred Citation
Oran K. Gragson Papers, 1955-1998. MS-00170. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1975 and 1987 by Oran K. Gragson; accession numbers 1975-107, T-86, and 1987-149. An additional donation was made in 2005 by Kenneth Gragson; accession number 2005-028.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Shirley Johnston in 1998 and Special Collections staff in 2005. In 2014, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden entered the data into ArchivesSpace. In 2017, Joyce Moore revised the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards.
Administrative Information
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Separated Materials
Some of the photographs in this acquisition were removed from the collection and placed in Oran K. Gragson Photographs, 1959-1988. PH-00310. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.