Paul C. Parraguirre

Paul C. Parraguirre, a third-generation Nevadan and a descendant of 19th century Basque sheepherders, was born December 13, 1923, in Gardnerville. As youngsters, Paul and his brothers helped their family establish the Sweetwater Ranch in Northern Nevada as one of the largest sheep operations in the state. He graduated from Douglas County High School and earned a bachelor's degree in physiology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1949. Originally a pre-med student, he was persuaded toward the law by William Lloyd Prosser, then dean of Berkeley's law school, and went on to receive his law degree from the University of Denver School of Law in 1954. During the 1960s he also served as a captain and pilot in the Nevada Air National Guard.

Over a long and distinguished career, Parraguirre built a reputation as a formidable litigator. He defended doctors and hospitals in medical malpractice cases and represented major corporations in product liability matters, including an alarm company in civil litigation arising from the 1981 Las Vegas Hilton fire. His public service was extensive: he served as a Clark County deputy district attorney, a Washoe County deputy district attorney, and Nevada's deputy attorney general, and he was elected president of the Nevada State Bar Association. In 1989, Gov. Bob Miller appointed him to the Fifth Judicial District Court bench in Tonopah, and he also served as a Nye County District Court judge.

Parraguirre was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a trustee of the Nevada Law Foundation, and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He was the last survivor of the Parraguirre lawyer brothers - his younger brothers Lorin, who also served in the Nevada Assembly, and David were likewise attorneys. He died December 25, 2005, at the age of 82. He was survived by his wife, Iris; sons Ron - who became a justice of the Nevada Supreme Court - and Paul; daughter Kathy; and four grandchildren.