Senator Alan Bible and the Politics of the New West

Alan Bible served Nevada for 20 years in the U.S. Senate, from 1954 to 1974. A protege of Pat McCarran's, Bible believed that "all politics is local" and that the needs of his constituents superseded all other political or economic considerations. He often considered himself to be an ambassador for the Silver State and had a profound impact on land-use policy. Bible used the cloakrooms of the Senate halls to his advantage, quietly manipulating legislation that brought millions of dollars to Nevada for every conceivable project that would bolster the economy.