William H. "Bill" Briare (July 13, 1930 – December 8, 2006) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. He was the former mayor of Las Vegas from 1975 to 1987. Briare was a member of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

.

Personal life

Briare was born in Long Beach

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

In the 1960s, Briare served in the Nevada Assembly

Nevada Assembly

The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member districts. Each Assembly district contained approximately 47,400 people as of the 2000 census, although...

 and as a Clark County Commissioner. In 1971 he lost his first campaign for mayor of Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

 to Oran K. Gragson

Oran K. Gragson

Oran K. Gragson was an American politician. He was the former mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1959 to 1975. Gragson was a member of the Republican Party....

, but Briare was elected in his next attempt in 1975, defeating Harry Reid

Harry Reid

Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...

.

Briare was so positive about the city that some believed he ran the Chamber of Commerce not knowing he was the mayor. "His public tenure came during a key time when control of casinos shifted from organized crime figures to corporations."

In 1994, Briare ran for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada

Lieutenant Governor of Nevada

The Nevada Lieutenant Governor is an elected office in the U.S. state of Nevada. The Nevada Lieutenant Governor is based in Carson City, Nevada and elected for 4 year terms. The 33rd and current Lt. Governor for the 2007-2011 term is Brian Krolicki....

, but lost to Lonnie Hammargren

Lonnie Hammargren

Lonnie Lee Hammargren is an American politician. He is the former 31st Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. State of Nevada, serving from 1995 to 1999...

.

Briare died in Las Vegas at the age of 76, and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery.

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