Vail Pittman Explained

Vail Pittman
Order1:19th
Office1:Governor of Nevada
Term Start1:July 24, 1945
Term End1:January 1, 1951
Lieutenant1:Clifford A. Jones
Predecessor1:Edward P. Carville
Successor1:Charles H. Russell
Order2:19th
Office2:Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
Term Start2:January 3, 1943
Term End2:July 24, 1945
Governor2:Edward P. Carville
Predecessor2:Maurice J. Sullivan
Successor2:Clifford A. Jones
Office3:Member of the Nevada Senate
Term3:1925–1929
Birth Name:Vail Montgomery Pittman
Birth Date:17 September 1880
Birth Place:Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S.
Death Place:San Francisco, California, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Resting Place:Masonic Memorial Gardens
Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Spouse:Ida Louise Brewington
Alma Mater:University of the South
Brown's Business College

Vail Montgomery Pittman (September 17, 1880 – January 29, 1964) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 19th governor of Nevada.

Biography

Pittman was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the youngest of four sons born to William Buckner Pittman and Katherine Key Pittman, a direct descendant of Francis Scott Key. His siblings included Key Pittman, a longtime United States Senator from Nevada.[1] William and Katherine Pittman died when Vail Pittman was an infant, and the Pittmans were raised in Lake Providence, Louisiana, by their uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Vail Montgomery. Vail Pittman was educated by private tutors and in the public schools until he attended Sewanee Military Academy. He then attended the University of the South and Brown's Business College, but returned to Lake Providence in 1903 to manage the family cotton plantation after Vail Montgomery's death.

Career

Pittman moved to Tonopah, Nevada, in 1904, and worked initially at the Tonopah-Goldfield Lumber and Coal Company until purchasing the company's coal business and operating it as a separate company. He sold the coal business in 1907, and subsequently engaged in a variety of occupations, including undersheriff of Nye County, sergeant-at-arms of the Nevada Senate, and partner in a mining company. On May 20, 1919, he married Ida Louise Brewington. In 1920 Vail and Ida Pittman bought the Ely Daily Times of Ely, Nevada, and he began a successful career in the newspaper business.[2] Pittman was also involved in several civic and business organizations, including the good roads movement and the local chamber of commerce. From 1925 to 1929 Pittman served in the Nevada Senate. After his brother Key's 1940 death, Vail Pittman unsuccessfully sought the governor's appointment to his U.S. Senate seat.

Pittman was elected the 19th lieutenant governor of Nevada in 1942. He was a candidate in the Democratic primary for United States Senate in 1944, but was defeated by the incumbent, Pat McCarran. He became governor when Edward P. Carville resigned in 1945 to accept appointment to a vacant U.S. Senate seat. Pittman was elected to a full term in 1946, and served until 1951. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1950 and in 1954, losing both times to Charles H. Russell. After leaving office Pittman resumed operation of the Ely Daily Times. He later sold the newspaper, and became an officer of the Nevada Savings and Loan Association and the Nevada State Bank. He was involved in the Rotary Club and was a delegate to international conferences in Switzerland and Japan. He served as a delegate to the 1956 and 1960 Democratic National Conventions.[3]

Death

Pittman died from cancer on January 29, 1964, in a hospital in San Francisco, California[4] at the age of 83. He is interred at Masonic Memorial Gardens, Reno, Washoe County, Nevada, US.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Vail M. Pittman. The Political Graveyard. 6 October 2012.
  2. Web site: VailM.Pittman. Nevada's First Ladies. 6 October 2012.
  3. Web site: Vail M. Pittman. National Governors Association. 6 October 2012.
  4. Web site: Vail M. Pittman. Nevada State Library and Archives. 6 October 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120305203710/http://nsla.nevadaculture.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=850%3Anevada-governors-biographical-information&catid=132%3Aarchives-photographs. 5 March 2012.