Abstract
The Pittman Family Photographs depict members of the Pittman and Brewington families in Nevada from 1922 to 1989. The photographs primarily depict Nevada Governor Vail Pittman and his wife Ida Louise “Liz” Brewington Pittman at political campaign and fundraising events, including the Helldorado Parade in Las Vegas, Nevada and at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City, Nevada. The photographs also depict Governor Pittman with President Harry S. Truman, Jim Cashman, and family members. The photographs also include a group photograph of U.S. Senator Key Pittman with business executives representing the Union Pacific Railroad and the San Pedro Railroad. Lastly, the collection also contains family photographs of Ann Brewington, Ida Brewington Pittman's sister.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Pittman Family Photographs depict members of the Pittman and Brewington families in Nevada from 1922 to 1989. The photographs primarily depict Nevada Governor Vail Pittman and his wife Ida Louise “Liz” Brewington Pittman at political campaign and fundraising events, including the Helldorado Parade in Las Vegas, Nevada and at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City, Nevada. The photographs also depict Governor Pittman with President Harry S. Truman, Jim Cashman, and family members. The photographs also include a group photograph of U.S. Senator Key Pittman with business executives representing the Union Pacific Railroad and the San Pedro Railroad. Lastly, the collection also contains family photographs of Ann Brewington, Ida Brewington Pittman's sister.
Access Note
The 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 website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain in original order.
Biographical / Historical Note
Key Pittman was a U.S. Senator from Nevada from 1913 to 1940. He was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1872. He became a lawyer in 1892 and opened a practice in Seattle, Washington. In 1897, Pittman joined the gold rush in Klondike, Alaska, where he worked as a miner until 1901. Pittman married Mimosa Gates in 1900. In 1902, Pittman moved to Tonopah, Nevada, and practiced law. After unsuccessfully running for the U.S. Senate in 1910, he was elected in 1913. Pittman held several important positions in the Senate, including President pro tempore from 1933 to 1940 and chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations from 1933 to 1940. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Pittman died in Reno, Nevada on November 10, 1940, shortly after winning reelection for another term as a U.S. Senator.
Sources:
Glad, Betty. Key Pittman: The Tragedy of a Senate Insider. New York City: Columbia University Press, 2013.
“Pittman, Key, (1872-1940).” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed October 2, 2015. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=P000372
Vail Pittman was the nineteenth governor of Nevada and served from 1945 to 1951. He was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1883. He became a successful newspaper publisher, and in 1920, with his wife Ida Brewington Pittman, he purchased the Ely Daily Times in Ely, Nevada. In 1924, Pittman successfully ran for Nevada State Senate, in which he served from 1925 to 1928. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Nevada in 1943, and when Governor Edward P. Carville resigned in 1945 in order to serve in the U.S. Senate, Pittman became governor of Nevada. He was reelected as governor in 1946, but was defeated in 1950. In 1954, he unsuccessfully ran for governor again. In 1960, he served as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Pittman died in 1964.
Sources:
Glad, Betty. Key Pittman: The Tragedy of a Senate Insider. New York City: Columbia University Press, 2013.
“Nevada Governor Vail Montgomery Pittman.” Former Governors’ Bios. National Governors Association. Accessed October 2, 2015. http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_nevada/col2-content/main-content-list/title_pittman_vail.html
Gottschalk, Gertrude. “Ida Louise (Brewington) Pittman (1893 – 1984).” Nevada’s First Ladies. December 2009. Nevada Women’s History Project, University of Nevada, Reno. http://www.unr.edu/nwhp/bios/nv1st/pittman_i.html
Ida Louise "Liz" Brewington was born in 1893 in Macon, Missouri. She became a music teacher, first in Centralia, Missouri, and then Tonopah, Nevada. After marrying Vail Pittman in Reno in 1919, she helped him organize and publish the Ely Daily Times in Ely, Nevada. When Pittman was away in Carson City, Nevada, Ida Pittman ran the newspaper. After Pittman’s electoral defeat in 1950, Ida and Vail Pittman moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and sold the newspaper. After her husband died, Ida Pittman traveled extensively. She died in 1984.
Sources:
Glad, Betty. Key Pittman: The Tragedy of a Senate Insider. New York City: Columbia University Press, 2013.
“Nevada Governor Vail Montgomery Pittman.” Former Governors’ Bios. National Governors Association. Accessed October 2, 2015. http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_nevada/col2-content/main-content-list/title_pittman_vail.html
Gottschalk, Gertrude. “Ida Louise (Brewington) Pittman (1893 – 1984).” Nevada’s First Ladies. December 2009. Nevada Women’s History Project, University of Nevada, Reno. http://www.unr.edu/nwhp/bios/nv1st/pittman_i.html
Preferred Citation
Pittman Family Photographs, 1922-1989. PH-00053. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1982 and 1983 by Ann Brewington; accession numbers 1982-91 and 1983-37.