Oran K. Gragson Photographs (PH-00310)

Politician Oran 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 later managed the Boulder Inn Casino and Dance Hall and then became part owner of a new and used furniture store. He later opened the North Main Furniture Store, followed by the Charleston Appliance Center.

In the late 1950s, Gragson found that some of the local police had been breaking into his store and stealing televisions. Observing the corruption in the police force motivated Gragson to seek public office. In 1959, Gragson 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: a recall in his first term and a recall in his last term. 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. Under his leadership, 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 projects and improvements like renovating West Las Vegas. Gragson increased highway funding and funds for a new city hall (approved in 1967).

Sources: Martin, Roy. "Oran K. Gragson." Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 7, 1999. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/oran-k-gragson