Roy Lee Torvinen

Roy L. Torvinen was born June 19, 1927, in Tacoma, Washington, and was raised in Reno, where he attended the local public schools. He graduated from the University of Nevada in 1953 and earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law School in 1956, the same year he was admitted to practice in both the District of Columbia and the State of Nevada.

He began his legal career as a Deputy Reno City Attorney and, in 1959, was elected Reno City Attorney. He entered private practice in 1963 and was elected to the Nevada State Legislature as an Assemblyman from the Reno District, completing four terms. In 1969 he served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and as Majority Floor Leader, later joining the Legislative Commission, and from 1971 to 1974 he served as one of Nevada's Commissioners to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. In 1965 he organized the Washoe County Legal Aid Society and served as its President until 1969.

In 1975 he took the bench as a judge of the Washoe County District Court, where he served until 1992. He was married to the former Helene Norris, and they had four children - Todd, Karen, Thomas, and James.