Pioneer lawmaker Von Tobel dies

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2003 | 11:07 a.m.

Whether it was breaking ground in Nevada Republican politics, racing his Jaguar to victory at California racetracks or climbing the world's tallest peaks, George Von Tobel faced his toughest tasks with quiet confidence.

"He was as good as any lawmaker who ever came from Clark County," said James Wood of Reno, a Republican who served with Von Tobel in the 1953 and '55 Nevada Assembly.

"George had to have been a very favorable candidate at that time to win in Clark County as a Republican," Wood said. "It was just unheard of back then. He paved the way for future GOP candidates in the south end of the state.

"He was a fine gentleman who had a quiet, confident and positive approach to issues."

George Woodruff Von Tobel, a visionary legislator who helped pass laws to bolster labor and fight crime and urged passage of early civil rights measures, died Sunday at his Las Vegas home following a lengthy illness. He was 84.

Services for the native Las Vegan and member of a prominent local family that dates to the city's 1905 founding will be 11:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Anne Catholic Church on Maryland Parkway.

A four-term assemblyman, Von Tobel in 1952 became the first Republican in 26 years to be elected to the Assembly from Clark County. In 1962, he became the Clark County GOP chairman and two years later ran unsuccessfully for Congress.

"My brother -- like all of Ed Von Tobel Sr.'s children -- took our lead from our dad," said Ed Von Tobel Jr., the last surviving child of pioneers Ed and Mary Von Tobel and overseer of the family's real estate development empire.

"Our dad and Art Ham at times were the only two Republicans to show up at Republican rallies in Las Vegas in the early 1900s. But they stuck with the party and so did my brother."

Ed Von Tobel Jr. said his late brother wanted to be remembered not so much as an effective and powerful legislator and enduring businessman, but as "a kind, considerate person, just like our father.

"My brother did a lot for this community, but so much of his generosity has been forgotten because he did not like to take credit for anything."

George Von Tobel's other major accomplishments included:

In the late 1960s, Von Tobel rejoined the family business with his brothers Ed Jr. and Jake and sister Elizabeth Zahn to operate a store on Maryland Parkway that revolutionized the hardware business, ushering in the one-stop shopping era.

In the 1980s, the family began Von Tobel Investments and developed the Flamingo-Jones Shopping Center, Von Tobel Commerce Park and Cameron Hacienda Business Park, among other properties.

George Von Tobel was born in Las Vegas on May 26, 1918. Thirteen years earlier, Ed Von Tobel Sr. had purchased two parcels from the land auction that created the city of Las Vegas from railroad property. On that land, the Von Tobel Lumber Co. was founded and provided the materials that built the town.

The business later became Von Tobel Hardware, which in 1986 became part of the now defunct Ole's chain.

George graduated from Las Vegas High in 1935 and from the University of Santa Clara in 1941 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

Inducted into the Army in 1942, Von Tobel rose from private to lieutenant while serving in the Pacific with the Army Engineers. He helped build island runways and helped reconstruct the city of Manila in the Philippines.

After the war, Von Tobel returned to Las Vegas and became involved in politics. He was elected to the Assembly in 1952, was re-elected in 1954 and '56 and won a fourth term in 1960.

Von Tobel initiated and co-sponsored several bills that benefited Nevada workers. Among them was a measure allowing recipients of unemployment compensation to attend trade schools without loss of benefits.

To better fight crime, Von Tobel co-sponsored a 1955 bill requiring sex offenders to register with police -- a law that still exists. He also introduced the 1957 bill that provided a fourth District Court judge for Clark County.

On March 28, 1961, as blacks marched in demonstration to the state Capitol, Von Tobel spoke in favor of civil rights legislation at a minority report meeting.

Von Tobel, who in 1960 had visited several African nations, warned that harm would be done to U.S. foreign policy in Africa and other parts of the world if civil rights legislation was not passed in Nevada and elsewhere.

Von Tobel served on the Assembly Taxation and Roads Committee, the Transportation Committee and powerful Ways and Means.

He ran for Congress in 1964, losing to incumbent Democrat Walter Baring.

A civic leader, Von Tobel was a past local and state president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and in 1951 was director of the National Jaycees. He was also a member of the Elks and Lions clubs as well as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

In addition to his brother, he is survived by six daughters, Julie Roach, Jackie Von Tobel, Jennifer Von Tobel, Trudi Von Tobel and Valorie McCord, all of Las Vegas, and Victoria McGuire of Evergreen, Colo.; a son, Jon Von Tobel of Las Vegas; and 14 grandchildren.

Donations can be made in Von Tobel's memory to the George Von Tobel College Aid Fund, c/o the Nevada Community Foundation.

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