Samuel Patrick McMullen

Samuel Patrick McMullen was a fourth-generation Nevadan, born November 10, 1949, in Elko, Nevada. A standout student at Elko High School, where he was a state math champion and regional science fair champion, he attended Whitman College and then the University of Nevada, Reno, earning a B.S. in Bio-Medical Studies in 1973. He went on to Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., receiving his J.D. in 1976, the same year he was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada.

Mr. McMullen began his legal career in public service as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Nevada, working in the Gaming and Civil Divisions. His involvement with the Nevada Legislature stretched back to 1973, when he served as a Senate Assistant Sergeant-At-Arms, and he would remain an active presence at the Legislature for decades. He served as Vice President of Government Affairs for Harrah's, twice as President of the Gaming Industry Association of Northern Nevada, and as President of the National Association of State Lobbyists. In 1990 he founded The McMullen Strategic Group, and in 2006 he joined Snell & Wilmer to establish its government relations practice.

Over a distinguished career, Mr. McMullen represented gaming, medical, and mining interests as well as the Las Vegas and Henderson chambers of commerce, and in 1995 he personally initiated and negotiated a comprehensive regional water-planning settlement for Washoe County. He shared his knowledge as an adjunct professor at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV. His work earned him recognition as a 'Best Lawyer of the Year' for regulatory and administrative law in Southern Nevada, selection as one of Nevada's 'Ten Most Influential' citizens, and the Nevada Women's Lobby 'Good Guy Award.' He passed away on May 30, 2022, in Henderson, Nevada, at the age of 72.