16 Facts About James Bilbray

James Hubert Bilbray was an American politician, lawyer, and postal executive who served four terms as the US representative for Nevada's 1st congressional district from 1987 to 1995.

James Bilbray received a Bachelor of Arts in government and public administration from American University in Washington, DC, in 1962 and a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law in 1964.

James Bilbray served in the Nevada Army National Guard from 1955 to 1956 and in the United States Army Reserve from 1957 to 1963.

James Bilbray practiced law and was deputy district attorney of Clark County from 1965 to 1967.

James Bilbray was then chief legal counsel in the Clark County juvenile court from 1967 to 1968 and was an alternate municipal judge in Las Vegas from 1978 to 1980.

James Bilbray became licensed to practice law before the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 1970.

James Bilbray won the primary and was expected to win the general election, but Baring surprised him by endorsing the Republican nominee, David Towell, who upset James Bilbray in a close race.

James Bilbray made a comeback in 1980 when he was elected to the Nevada State Senate, where he served from 1981 to 1987, and became chairman of the Taxation Committee and a member of the Judiciary Committee.

James Bilbray successfully ran for the US House of Representatives in 1986 for the seat being vacated by Harry Reid, who made a successful run for the US Senate in the same election.

James Bilbray served as chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Taxation, Tourism and Procurement and was a member of the Foreign Affairs, Armed Services and Intelligence committees.

James Bilbray lost his re-election campaign in the 1994 Republican Revolution, losing to Republican opponent John Ensign by less than 1,400 votes.

James Bilbray appeared to be well on his way to reelection until news surfaced that reports surfaced that one of his aides stood to make a huge profit from lands legislation sponsored by James Bilbray.

James Bilbray was appointed a commissioner on the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission and in 2006 was appointed a member of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service by President George W Bush for a term ending in 2015.

James Bilbray resided in Las Vegas until his death in 2021.

James Bilbray was a cousin to Brian Bilbray, a two-time Republican congressman from Southern California.

James Bilbray died on September 19,2021, at the age of 83.