Abstract
The Phil Carlino Papers (1967-2016) document Carlino's involvement in Nevada politics and business. The collection centers around Carlino’s time as State Chairman of the Nevada State Democratic Party. It also includes materials from the National Democratic Party, the 1972 Democratic National Convention, and personal papers. His wife and business partner, Florence Carlino, is mentioned throughout the collection. She was involved in numerous local organizations and was a supporter of the Democratic Party. The materials include photographs, correspondence, newspaper articles, event programs and invitations, periodicals, and promotional campaign items from Carlino's campaigns for Nevada Secretary of State and Mayor of Las Vegas.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
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Scope and Contents Note
The Phil Carlino Papers (1967-2016) document his involvement in Nevada politics and business. The topics present in the collection include the Nevada State Democratic Party, Carlino’s two campaigns for public office: Secretary of State (1974) and Mayor of Las Vegas (1975), the National Democratic Party, the Democratic National Convention, and personal items. The materials include photographs, correspondence, newspaper articles, event programs and invitations, newsletters, magazines, speeches, and promotional campaign items. Carlino was very active in the Democratic Party, and the collection documents his involvement through invitations to the 1973 and 1977 U.S. Presidential Inaugurations, delegate badges to the 1972 DNC, and correspondence between him and members of the party throughout the country.
Also included are personal items from Carlino’s involvement with the Sons of Italy, Optimist Club, and other fraternal organizations. There are greeting and holiday cards that were sent to the Carlino family, as well as correspondence addressed directly to Florence. There is a small amount of material related to the Fremont Coin Company.
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
Materials are arranged by topic.
Biographical / Historical Note
Born on April 1, 1926, Phil T. Carlino is a businessman, politician, community activist, and former State Chairman of the Nevada Democratic Party. After serving in the Navy in World War II, he attended the University of Buffalo (now known as the State University of New York at Buffalo). He met his future wife Florence, whose family had moved to Buffalo, New York, from Steubenville, Ohio, in 1946 and they were married that same year. The couple owned a coin and stamp collecting shop in Buffalo.
The Carlinos moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1963 after a doctor recommended a drier climate to help with their son’s extreme asthma. They opened another coin and stamp shop and soon expanded their business to include more stores, including the Las Vegas Cointique Shop and Fremont Coin Company.
Carlino became involved with the Nevada Democratic Party in the late 1960s. He served on the Clark County Fair Housing Committee, as First Vice Chairman of the State Central Committee, and assumed the position of State Chairman of the Democratic Party in 1970. He held this position until 1974, when he ran in the Democratic primary election for Secretary of State, losing to Democrat William D. Swackhamer. He did not seek reelection for State Chairman. Carlino attended the 1972 Democratic National Convention as a Nevada delegate. He ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Las Vegas in 1975.
In 1975, Carlino helped form and served as president of the Combined Health Agency Program (CHAP), a state organization that fundraised and then distributed donations to one of six national health agencies. He became involved with the American Lung Association of Nevada in 1978, eventually serving as president for three separate terms, and was an advocate for cleaner air in Nevada. He was actively involved in fraternal organizations such as the Sons of Italy and the Optimist Club. In addition to running their coin business and supporting the Democratic party, Florence Carlino was active in the Women’s Democratic Club of Clark County, the Sons of Italy, the Mesquite Club, the Daughters of Erin, and served as president of the Las Vegas Numismatic Society.
Carlino continued to work on various political campaigns throughout the years. Florence passed away in 1998. Carlino operated the Fremont Coin Company until its closure in 2017. As of 2019, Phil Carlino still lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sources:
Breger, Jack. “Health agencies in fund coalition.” Las Vegas Review-Journal, April 21, 1975.
“New open-housing bill won’t halt Nevada plan.” Las Vegas Review-Journal, April 11, 1968.
“Prominent coin store owner, political activist Carlino dies.” Las Vegas Sun, August 19, 1998. Accessed September 13, 2019, https://lasvegassun.com/news/1998/aug/19/prominent-coin-store-owner-political-activist-carl/.
Preferred Citation
Phil Carlino Papers, 1967-2016. MS-00953. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2019 by Rebecca Carlino and Glenn Carlino; accession number 2019-072.
Processing Note
In 2019, Lauren Paljusaj rehoused and arranged the materials, and wrote the finding aid and entered the data into ArchivesSpace.