Former civil leader Archie dies of cancer at age 55

Bill Gang

Thursday, Sept. 12, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Robert Archie, who rose from a poor shanty in West Las Vegas to become a prominent black civil leader and defense attorney, died late Wednesday at his home. He was 55.

Archie had been battling cancer for years.

The news saddened but did not shock the courthouse, where Archie had been renowned for the unyielding defense of his clients and his soft baritone voice.

His battle with cancer, which he never let diminish his spirit, was well known.

Archie, who grew up in a three-room home on Madison Avenue, fought the civil rights battles of the 1950s and 1960s before working for Sen. Howard Cannon and attending law school. He returned to Las Vegas a decorated Vietnam veteran and was admitted to the State Bar in 1967.

His skills and reputation blossomed at the Clark County public defender's office in the late 1960s and early 1970s with such people as now-U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan, former Rep. James Santini and the late District Judge Robert Legakes.

In 1971, Archie was appointed by then-Gov. Mike O'Callaghan as director of the Nevada Employment Security Department -- becoming the highest-ranking black in state government.

He left there for a career in private practice, rejecting offers for appointment to a District Court seat on more than one occasion.

But his life dipped in the 1980s when he was convicted of a felony and was imprisoned for two years.

He regained his law license in 1991 and resumed his career. He later helped other suspended black attorneys regain their licenses.

Most recently, Archie represented Andrew Dersch, a petty thief who was roughed up at the Fremont hotel-casino by three Metro Police bicycle officers who were caught on security videotape and later fired.

In a 1992 SUN interview, Archie said he hoped others would see in him a real-life example of how a strong survival instinct and a little self-confidence can counteract seemingly insurmountable odds.

In 1994, he ran for North Las Vegas justice of the peace but fell short to eventual winner Steve Dahl.