Herbert Joseph Santos Sr.

Herbert Joseph Santos, Sr. was born August 15, 1931, in Plainville, Connecticut, and earned a B.A. in government with a psychology minor from Suffolk University in Boston before receiving his J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law in 1960. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and later reenlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a Judge Advocate General, reaching the rank of Captain.

After passing the Nevada Bar, Santos became a Deputy Reno City Attorney and then served as a Deputy District Attorney under Washoe County District Attorney Bill Raggio, joining the team known as the "Raggio Raiders." He went on to build a long private practice in Reno focused on criminal law, immigration, family law, wills and probate, and personal injury, continuing as of counsel through 2023. He argued six reported matters before the Nevada Supreme Court and received the Nevada Justice Association's 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Beyond the law, Santos was an internationally respected professional boxing judge who scored more than 755 bouts, including 60 title fights and 20 world championships, among them the 1985 Hagler - Hearns championship. He served as a Nevada Athletic Commission commissioner and chairman in 1987-1988, where he championed boxer-safety measures. He was inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018 and, in 2020, became a Guinness World Record holder as the oldest boxing judge to officiate a world championship, at age 88.