David Goldwater

David Goldwater Sr. was one of Las Vegas' most respected trial attorneys, admitted to the Nevada bar in 1949 and practicing for nearly 50 years. He grew up in Reno and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he served as president of his college student body and was a candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship in 1939. In 1940 he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving in World War II combat in the South Pacific, rising to the rank of lieutenant and earning the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. After returning home in 1945, he attended Stanford University and received his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 1949.

Goldwater began his legal career alongside his brother Bert in Reno before moving to Las Vegas in 1952, where he became a partner in the firm of Wiener, Goldwater and Galitz. Over his career he represented prominent Las Vegans, including casino figures Moe Dalitz and Jackie Gaughan, and he was widely regarded as a formidable, respected opponent in the courtroom. He was a member of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, which admits no more than 5 percent of trial lawyers in each state, and he continued to practice as a sole practitioner until his death. Colleagues remembered him for his skill with juries and his outstanding professional reputation.

Beyond the law, Goldwater played an active role in the development of the Las Vegas community. He served as president of B'nai B'rith, the Clark County Bar Association, and the Las Vegas Combined Jewish Appeal, and was a founding member of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Conference for Christians and Jews (now the National Conference for Community and Justice). He also helped found Congregation Ner Tamid, now the largest reform Jewish congregation in the state. David Goldwater Sr. died in Las Vegas on November 5, 2000, at the age of 83.