James David Santini
James David Santini | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's at-large district | |
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1983 | |
Preceded by | David Towell |
Succeeded by | Harry Reid (1st district) Barbara Vucanovich (2nd district) |
Personal details | |
Born | University of California, Hastings (JD ) | August 13, 1937
James David Santini (August 13, 1937 – September 22, 2015) was an American attorney, politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for Nevada's at-large congressional district from 1975 to 1983. He was a member of the Democratic Party until 1986, when he joined the Republican Party.
Early life and education
Born in
Career
Santini served in the
Congress
Santini was elected to the U.S. House in 1974, unseating incumbent Republican
Santini was the last person to represent the entire state in the U.S. House, as
In 1986, he switched to the Republican Party and ran for the Senate seat then being vacated by the retiring Paul Laxalt. Although Santini won the Republican nomination easily, he was defeated in the general election by Reid. Santini received about 44% of the vote.
Later career
After leaving public office, Santini remained in Washington, D.C., and worked as a lobbyist, representing a number of tourism-related corporations. Among his major clients were the National Tour Association, which retained him as a legislative counsel for government issues related to the national and international tourism industry. Santini had been the federal legislation and regulation Washington, D.C., representative for NTA since 1983.
Personal life
In 1990, Santini and his family appeared as contestants on the nighttime version of Family Feud. One of his aides appeared in a 1980 episode of the series and mentioned his name several times. Show host Richard Dawson made light of the Abscam sting operation during the opening segment of the episode. His aide confirmed that Santini was not involved and was a "good guy". His aide's family lost the game to the returning champions.
Death
Santini died on September 22, 2015, in Rockville, Maryland, from esophageal cancer.[1] He was 78.
References
- United States Congress. "James David Santini (id: S000058)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ "Former Nevada Rep. Jim Santini dies at 78". LASVEGASNOW. 22 September 2015.
External links
- Jim Santini papers. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.