Richard F. Proud (January 19, 1922 – January 24, 2009) was an American politician who served in the Nebraska Legislature from 1965 to 1975.

Early life

Richard Proud was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 19, 1922. He moved to Arapahoe, Nebraska, where he graduated from high school. Proud graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln before earning a degree from the University of Colorado Law School. He was a second lieutenant with the United States Navy and commanded a landing craft in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Career

After the war, Proud became a lawyer and lobbyist for Mutual of Omaha, where he worked for two decades. He was first elected to the Nebraska Legislature in November 1964, and continually reelected from Omaha in district 12 until choosing not to run during the 1974 election cycle. From 1973 to 1974, Proud was speaker of the state legislature. From 1972 to 1973, Proud led an effort to rescind Nebraska's ratification of the proposed

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, after legislative colleague

Fern Hubbard Orme Fern Hubbard Orme (April 17, 1903 – March 17, 1993) was an American politician and educator. Orme was born in Opportunity, Nebraska and went to the public schools in O'Neill, Nebraska. Orme received her bachelor's and master's degrees in Eng ...

had backed the amendment's ratification. In the

1976 United States Senate election in Nebraska The 1976 United States Senate election in Nebraska took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Republican senator Roman Hruska decided to retire instead of seeking another term. Democrat Edward Zorinsky won the open seat. Democratic primary Cand ...

, Proud lost the

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primary to John Y. McCollister. After stepping down from the state legislature, Proud served the Nebraska Department of Welfare as deputy director and general counsel, as well as an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In retirement, Proud moved to

Battlement Mesa, Colorado Battlement Mesa is a census-designated place (CDP) and post office in and governed by Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Battlement Mesa post office has the ...

. He died in Rifle, Colorado, on January 24, 2009. A memorial was held in Battlement Mesa and Arapahoe, and Proud was interred in Arapahoe.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Proud, Richard 1922 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American legislators Republican Party Nebraska state senators 20th-century American lawyers Nebraska lawyers University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty University of Colorado Law School alumni University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II Speakers of the Nebraska Legislature American lobbyists People from Furnas County, Nebraska Politicians from Des Moines, Iowa Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska People from Garfield County, Colorado