Frederick Bennett Balzar (June 15, 1880 – March 21, 1934) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and lawyer. He was the 15th Governor of Nevada. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Biography

Balzar was born in

Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

. His attended school in Nevada, and graduated from

San Francisco Polytechnic High School San Francisco Polytechnic High School was a public secondary school in San Francisco, California. Located from 1912 at 701 Frederick Street, across from Kezar Stadium, the school was in operation from 1884 until 1973. History The school opened i ...

. Balzar worked at a variety of occupations, including stagecoach driving, ranching, railroading, mining, and insurance. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he served in the

Nevada Assembly The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada, the upper house being the Nevada Senate. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member district ...

from 1905 to 1906, and the

Nevada Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the pr ...

from 1909 to 1916,. He was sheriff and county assessor of Mineral County from 1917 to 1926, and chairman of the Nevada Republican Party from 1924 to 1925. Balzar won the race for governor in 1926, defeating incumbent James G. Scrugham. After a lengthy illness Balzar died in the governor's mansion on March 21, 1934, in

Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. In 1931, he signed into law Assembly Bill 98, which allowed for wide-open gambling in Nevada. Balzar died in office at the Nevada Governor's Mansion. He shared a close friendship with comedian Will Rogers, who eulogized him as "a real two-fisted governor.""Will Rogers Remarks," ''Los Angeles Times'', March 23, 1934.

References

External links

*
Biography, Fred B. Balzar
at ''National Governors Association'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Balzar, Fred B. 1880 births 1934 deaths American Christian Scientists Republican Party governors of Nevada Republican Party Nevada state senators Republican Party members of the Nevada Assembly People from Virginia City, Nevada 20th-century American politicians