Richard Bryan
Richard Bryan | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Nevada | |
In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2001 | |
Preceded by | Chic Hecht |
Succeeded by | John Ensign |
Chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics | |
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995 | |
Preceded by | Terry Sanford |
Succeeded by | Mitch McConnell |
25th Governor of Nevada | |
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1989 | |
Lieutenant |
Bob Cashell Bob Miller |
Preceded by | Robert List |
Succeeded by | Bob Miller |
27th Attorney General of Nevada | |
In office January 1, 1979 – January 3, 1983 | |
Governor | Robert List |
Preceded by | Robert List |
Succeeded by | Brian McKay |
Member of the Nevada State Assembly | |
In office 1972–1978 | |
Personal details | |
Born |
Richard Hudson Bryan July 16, 1937 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Bonnie Belinda Fairchild (1962-2016; her death) |
Children | Leslie, Blair, Richard Jr. |
Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
Profession | Attorney |
Richard Hudson Bryan (born July 16, 1937) is an American attorney and politician. He served as the 25th Governor of the U.S. state of Nevada from 1983-89, and as a United States Senator from Nevada from 1989 to 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life
Bryan was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from the University of Nevada at Reno in 1959 where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega.[1] He earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. In 1963 he was admitted to the Nevada Bar.
Political career
1972–1989
Bryan served as a member of the Nevada Senate from 1972 to 1978. In 1979, Bryan became the Nevada Attorney General, and served in the position until 1983. Bryan was the Governor of Nevada from 1983 to 1989.
U.S. Senate (1989–2001)
After that, he represented Nevada in the U.S. Senate from 1989 until 2001. Bryan served on the following Senate Committees: Finance, Banking, Vice Chairman-U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Commerce. He chose not to run for re-election in 2000.
Bryan was an opponent of SETI and introduced an amendment to the 1994 budget that secured the cancellation of the High Resolution Microwave Survey and terminated NASA's SETI efforts.[2][3]
NASA criticized Bryan for his opposition to its SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program, especially because Bryan ignored the meeting requests from NASA staff.[4]
References
- ↑ "Famous ATOs". Alpha Tau Omega. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- ↑ Alexander, Amir. "A History of SETI - Explore the Cosmos". The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
But less than one year after their launch, both searches were suddenly and irrevocably terminated, victims of a new wave of Congressional budget cuts. This time it was Senator Richard Bryan of Nevada who led the charge against governmental expenditures on SETI. "The Great Martian Chase," he said, "may finally come to an end. As of today millions have been spent and we have yet to bag a single little green fellow. Not a single Martian has said take me to your leader, and not a single flying saucer has applied for FAA approval."
- ↑ H. Paul Shuch, ed. (2011). Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence: SETI past, present, and future. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-13195-0.
- ↑ Garber, Stephen. "Searching for Good Science: The Cancellation of NASA's SETI Program" (PDF). Nasa History Office. Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
External links
- United States Congress. "Richard Bryan (id: B000993)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- A Guide to the U.S. Senatorial Papers of Richard H. Bryan, Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.
- How Richard Bryan destroyed the NASA's SETI project
- Richard H Bryan's current professional page
Legal offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Robert List |
Attorney General of Nevada January 1, 1979 – January 3, 1983 |
Succeeded by Brian McKay |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Robert List |
Governor of Nevada January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1989 |
Succeeded by Bob Miller |
Preceded by Terry Sanford |
Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995 |
Succeeded by Mitch McConnell |
United States Senate | ||
Preceded by Chic Hecht |
U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Nevada January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2001 Served alongside: Harry Reid |
Succeeded by John Ensign |