Rene Watt Lemaire is a native of Nevada, born in 1903. He has lived in Lander County all his life, engaging in business in Battle Mountain. Mr. Lemaire represented Lander County in the Nevada State Senate for more than twenty years.

The oral history of Rene Lemaire contains sentiments of a small-town political leader in twentieth-century Nevada, and personal anecdotes about some of the leading political figures of the state. Although representing one of the most sparsely populated of the "cow" counties, Lemaire became one of the most powerful political figures in Nevada.

Examination of Nevada's legislative voting on major issues in the years preceding reapportionment in 1965 discloses that very seldom did the legislators divide along strict urban-rural lines. One of the reasons for the failure of such a voting dichotomy to develop was the presence of some small-county legislators like Rene Lemaire who were supporters of much of the legislation which might be termed "liberal" and who considered legislation in the light of state needs and not just in terms of the effect on one small part of the state. During Lemaire's entire tenure in the Nevada Senate, the fifteen small-population counties could outvote populous Clark and Washoe counties fifteen to two in that body.

Political scientists will be especially interested in Lemaire's comments about Nevada politicians, both within and outside the legislature. Lemaire's comments about the activities of Nevada political bosses, George Wingfield and Noble Getchell, whet the appetite for more information about the political methods which they used. We also find a partial explanation of why John Mueller was such a powerful lobbyist in the Nevada legislative halls.

Although the accounts of some of the legislative activities are colored by the author's close involvement, they do give us a different dimension on many issues, such as the "gambler's day in court" bill, which was finally killed during the 1957 session. This oral history provides valuable insights into the attitudes of a respected small-county political leader during the times when the small counties dominated legislative politics in Nevada.

Rene Lemaire's memoir includes recollections of life in Lander County, accounts of the lives of the pioneer Lemaire and Watt families, discussions of state and local politics and politicians, historical notes on Lander County, and a brief conclusion.