Grant, Archie C., 1894-1974

Archie C. "A. C." Grant was born in 1894 in Ely, Minnesota and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1928, where he opened a Ford dealership. He became a member of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce in the early 1930s and eventually became its president. He was also part of the group that started the annual Helldorado Days parade. In 1947, he became chairman of the newly-formed Las Vegas Housing Authority, a position that he held for 20 years. Under his leadership, manufacturing plants used during World War II were transferred to private ownership, and he created the Las Vegas Valley Water District after having the water lines from Lake Mead routed to Las Vegas.

Grant was also active in Nevada politics. Before the legalization of gambling in 1931, Grant helped shape the legislation that would eventually legalize gaming. Grant was also a member of the State Repeal Convention that voted in favor of ending Prohibition in 1933. He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Nevada twice, but he served as a state assemblyman and state senator for one term each. He also served as a delegate from Nevada to the Democratic National Convention.

In 1952, Grant was elected to the office of University of Nevada Regent, and he was the first regent from Southern Nevada. While in office, Grant pushed for the establishment of a University of Nevada campus in Las Vegas, and in 1954 the University of Nevada, Las Vegas was founded.

Archie C. Grant Hall, completed in 1959, was the second building constructed on the UNLV campus and is now the oldest original building.

Sources:

Eugene P. Moehring, The University of Nevada, Las Vegas: A History (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2007), 6-15.

F. Andrew Taylor, "Grant Hall namesake had crucial role in creation of UNLV," Las Vegas Review-Journal. July 3, 2014. http://www.reviewjournal.com/life/las-vegas-history/grant-hall-namesake-had-crucial-role-creation-unlv