Miles Nelson Pike Explained

Miles Nelson Pike
Office2:Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court
(Seat E)
Term Start2:1959
Term End2:June 1961
Appointer2:Grant Sawyer
Predecessor2:Charles M. Merrill
Successor2:Gordon R. Thompson
Office3:1st Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission
Term Start3:1959
Term End3:1959
Appointer3:Grant Sawyer
Predecessor3:Position Established
Successor3:Milton Keefer[1]
Office4:United States Attorney for the District of Nevada
Term Start4:1939
Term End4:1943
Term Start5:1947?[2]
Term End5:1952
Party:Democrat
Birth Date:November 24, 1899
Birth Place:Wadsworth, Nevada
Death Date:May 27, 1969
Education:Hastings College of the Law
Branch:
Rank: Lieutenant colonel

Miles Nelson Pike (November 24, 1899 – May 27, 1969) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada from 1959 to 1961.

Early life and education

Pike was born in Wadsworth on November 24, 1899, the son of Judge and Mrs. W.H.A. Pike. They moved to Reno in 1902 where Pike lived throughout his life. He graduated from Reno High School and served during World War I as a Navy midshipman.

After the war, he graduated from the University of Nevada in 1923 and Hastings College of the Law where he received his LLB degree in 1928.

In 1932 he married Marchand Newman and they had two sons, Russell and Roy Robert.

Career

After practicing briefly in San Francisco, Pike returned to Reno and entered private practice. In 1934, he was appointed first assistant United States Attorney, and in 1939 he was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Nevada. In 1943, he resigned to join the infantry during World War II where he served as a Lt. Colonel. After the war he was reappointed United States Attorney where he served until he resigned in 1952. That year he was elected President of the Nevada State Bar.[3]

In 1959, Pike was appointed as the first chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

When Justice Charles M. Merrill was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Governor Grant Sawyer appointed Pike to succeed Merrill.

In June 1961, Pike resigned from the Supreme Court and returned to his old firm where he continued to practice law until his death in 1969.[4]

References

Notes and References

  1. http://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=28 Nevada Gaming Commission, p. 4
  2. Web site: Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada on December 3, 1947 · Page 5.
  3. https://www.nvbar.org/about-us/board-of-governors/state-bar-past-presidents/ State Bar Past Presidents
  4. In Memorium, 85 Nev. 735 (1970), PDF.