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Higher Office(s) Served: Senator

TASKER L. ODDIE, the twelfth governor of Nevada, was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 24, 1870. His early education was attained in the New Jersey public school system. He later attended New York University, earning a law degree in 1895. In 1900, he moved to Tonopah, Nevada, where he became successful in the silver industry. Oddie first entered politics as the district attorney of Nye County, a position he held from 1901 to 1902. He also served as a member of the Nevada State Senate from 1903 to 1906. Oddie next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in November 1910. During his tenure, a state motor vehicle law was sanctioned; mining safety legislation was endorsed; women were granted the right to vote; and workmen's compensation benefits were improved. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Oddie returned to his mining interests. In 1920 he won election to the U.S. Senate, a position he held until 1933. Governor Tasker L. Oddie passed away on February 18, 1950, and was buried in the Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City, Nevada.

Sources:

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

Nevada State Archives: Tasker Lowndes Oddie 1911-1915

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

Wikipedia.org