Peter Ignacio Echeverria

Peter Ignacio Echeverria was born on June 29, 1918, in Shoshone, Idaho, the son of John Echeverria, a Basque sheepherder, and his wife Maria. He spent his early years in Hailey and Ely, Idaho, and worked as a butcher's apprentice to fund his education. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno - where in 1943 he won the Far West Debate Championship with partner Cliff Young - and went on to earn his law degree from Stanford Law School. During World War II he served as a decorated Army infantry captain.

Admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 1949, Echeverria built a distinguished 34-year legal practice known for high-profile cases and his skill in persuading juries, and he was widely regarded as one of the finest trial attorneys in the state. He served as national President of the American Board of Trial Advocates - the only person elected twice to that office - and was a member of the American College of Trial Attorneys and the International Academy of Trial Attorneys. A founder of the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association, he received the organization's first Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was also active in the Washoe County Bar Association.

Echeverria combined his legal career with extensive public service. He served as Special Assistant Attorney General to the Nevada Legislature in 1951 and 1953, sat in the Nevada State Senate from 1959 to 1963, and served ten years on the State Planning Board. As Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1973 to 1977, he opposed the licensing of Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, an action that led to Rosenthal's placement in Nevada's 'Black Book.' In his later years he operated a consulting firm specializing in gaming, real estate and legal matters, and served as Chairman of the Nevada Governor's Wild Horse Committee. He died on July 5, 2000.