Peter B. Merialdo was born in Eureka, Nevada, in 1899. The son of an immigrant Italian who established his home in Eureka in the 1870s, Mr. Merialdo grew up in that small central Nevada mining town. Once bustling with activity, Eureka declined as the mines ceased being productive; by the time he graduated from high school, he was the valedictorian and salutatorian, and delivered the farewell address and the welcome to the new class—because he was the only person to graduate that year.

Mr. Merialdo soon began a long political career by winning election as recorder and auditor of Eureka County. He was continuously reelected to that position from the early 1920s until 1950, when he was elected state controller. Reelected in 1954, he was defeated when he ran a third time in 1958.

A Republican who had many Democratic friends and attracted votes from members of that party, Mr. Merialdo has known many of the important political leaders of Nevada during the last few decades, including George Wingfield, Senator Patrick McCarran, and Governor Paul Laxalt. Although retired from public office for many years, in 1964 and 1966 he campaigned vigorously for Laxalt in the small counties.

This oral history provides a record of the life of a colorful and prominent Nevada politician. Through several decades of public life and activity in real estate and insurance, Peter Merialdo helped many people and won many friends.