This finding aid was created by Ian M. Baldwin on September 25, 2017. Persistent URL for this finding aid: http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/f1s308 2017 The Regents of the University of Nevada. All rights reserved. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives. Box 457010 4505 S. Maryland Parkway Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-7010 special.collections@unlv.edu
Table of Contents Summary Information... 3 Biographical Note... 3 Scope and Contents Note... 4 Arrangement... 4 Administrative Information... 4 Names and Subjects... 5 Collection Inventory... 5 - Page 2 -
Summary Information Repository: Creator: Title: ID: University of Nevada, Las Vegas. University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives. Denton, Ralph Ralph Denton Papers MS-00440 Date [inclusive]: 1951-1993 Physical Description: Language of the Material: Abstract: Preferred Citation 8.8 Linear Feet (21 boxes) English The Ralph Denton Papers (1951-1993) consist of case files and legal briefs of civil rights attorney Ralph Denton. The cases largely involve civil rights issues in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ralph Denton Papers, 1951-1993. MS-00440. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. ^ Return to Table of Contents Biographical Note Ralph Lloyd Denton was a famed civil rights attorney in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was born in Caliente, Nevada in 1925 to a political family that had been involved in Democratic and populist campaigns since William Jennings Bryan's first presidential run in 1896. While in high school, Denton won a summer job as an elevator operator in the U.S. Senate building in Washington, D.C. In 1943 he graduated high school and enlisted in the Army Air Corps, where he served in World War II. After the war, Denton attended the Washington College of Law where he graduated in 1951 with a juris doctorate degree. While in law school Denton got to know Democratic Senator Pat McCarran, who helped him get a clerking position in Nevada with U.S. District Judge Roger T. Foley. Upon his return to Las Vegas in 1955, Denton became more involved in Democratic politics. In 1958 he was elected as District Attorney of Esmeralda County, Nevada. He was heavily involved in John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign, helping him to carry the state in the close contest against Vice President Richard Nixon. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Denton was a passionate defender of the Civil Rights Movement, and offered his legal services to help desegregate hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. He was known for his support of liberal causes, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Peace Movement during the Vietnam War. His progressive activism earned him the nickname of "the liberal conscience of Nevada." In 2008, Denton retired from practicing law and moved to Boulder City, Nevada. Although retired, - Page 3-
he continued to offer legal advice to residents of Southern Nevada. He passed away at his home in Boulder City in 2012. The Ralph Denton Professorship was established at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Boyd School of Law in his honor. ^ Return to Table of Contents Scope and Contents Note The Ralph Denton Papers (1951-1993) consist of case files and legal briefs of civil rights attorney Ralph Denton. The cases largely involve civil rights issues in Las Vegas, Nevada. ^ Return to Table of Contents Arrangement Materials remain in original order. ^ Return to Table of Contents Administrative Information Access Collection is open for research. Publication Rights For permission to reproduce or publish from this collection, please contact the Director of Special Collections. Aquisition Note Materials were donated to the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association in 2001 by Sara Denton. They were transferred to UNLV Special Collections in 2001 by Dennis McBride; accession number 2001-026. - Page 4-
Processing Note Guide to the Ralph Denton Papers Material was processed by UNLV Special Collections staff in 2001. In 2014, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Ian M. Baldwin wrote the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards. Subsequently, Ian M. Baldwin entered the data into ArchivesSpace. Revision Description The finding aid was revised by Ian M. Baldwin to bring it into compliance with DACS. August, 2014 ^ Return to Table of Contents Names and Subjects Legal Cases -- Las Vegas -- Nevada History -- Las Vegas -- Nevada African Americans -- Civil rights -- Nevada -- Las Vegas Collection Inventory Title/Description Containers Aladdin Hotel, 1968 box 01 folder 01 Victory Uranium Corporation, 1954-1957 box 01 folder 02 City of Caliente, 1956-1958 box 01 folder 03 Bing Shee Lee, 1959-1962 box 01 folder 04 Benny Binion, 1963-1966 box 01 folder 05 Bill Boyd, 1959 box 01 folder 06 Mildred Breedlove, 1964 box 01 folder 07 Don Brown, 1965 box 01 folder 08 Erwin Burns, 1963 box 01 folder 09 Charles T. Parker, 1965 box 01 folder 10 Chiari Brothers, 1953-1956 box 01 folder 11 Ching Hong Lak, 1957 box 01 folder 12 Wong Fook Chui, 1958 box 01 folder 13 Won Kin Chung, 1964 box 01 folder 14 Cinemaraces, 1959 box 01 folder 15 - Page 5-
Clark County Teachers' Association, 1966 box 01 folder 16 Clark County race books, 1961-1964 box 01 folder 17 Clanebach, Incorporated, 1965-1966 box 01 folder 18 H.L. Claybaugh, 1965-1966 box 01 folder 19 Coach and Four, Incorporated, 1961 box 01 folder 20 Kenneth Coburn, 1964 box 01 folder 21 Jack Cohen, 1958 box 01 folder 22 Hyde Park subdivision, 1962 box 01 folder 23 Terry Lynn Conger, 1969-1971 box 01 folder 24 George Levi Cranmer, 1962 box 02 folder 01 George Crockett, 1966 box 02 folder 02 Crystal Springs Ranch, 1964 box 02 folder 03 Desert Broadcasting, 1967 box 02 folder 04 Desert Provision Company, 1955 box 02 folder 05 Thomas Eager, 1960 box 02 folder 06 Dunes Jewelry Salon, 1968-1969 box 02 folder 07 Baker Hazard, 1961-1962 box 02 folder 08 Channel 12 of Las Vegas, 1968 box 02 folder 09 Channel 13 of Las Vegas, 1967-1968 box 02 folder 10-15 Desert Broadcasting, 1969 box 02 folder 16-21 Desert Broadcasting, 1967-1969 box 03 folder 01 Van E. Elliot, 1962 box 03 folder 02 Pearl H. Enzer, 1954 box 03 folder 03 Esmeralda County, 1958-1960 box 03 folder 04 Fair vs. Fair, 1967 box 03 folder 05 Joseph Fehr, 1955 box 03 folder 06 Rogers Clary Lease, 1956 box 03 folder 07 Ferry Howard, 1954 box 03 folder 08 First Title, 1965 box 03 folder 09 Ina Hantelman, 1959 box 03 folder 10 C.G. Haynes, 1958 box 03 folder 11 - Page 6-
Henderson Telephone Company, 1963-1966 box 03 folder 12 Henderson Telephone Company, 1963-1964 box 04 folder 01-02 Hidden Wells Ranch, 1963 box 04 folder 03 Hitchens, 1963 box 04 folder 04 Hogan Cisco Oil Deal, 1955 box 04 folder 05 Joe Hornstein, 1963 box 04 folder 06 Jackpot, 1954 box 04 folder 07 Jockey Club Casino, 1980 box 04 folder 08-09 Jockey Club Casino, 1977-1981 box 05 folder 01-17 Jockey Club Casino, 1977-1981 box 06 folder 01-20 Jockey Club Casino, 1977-1981 box 07 folder 01-07 Joe Julian Sans Souci, 1962-1970 box 07 folder 08-15 Karas Bloom, 1955 box 07 folder 16 KLAS TV, 1962 box 07 folder 17 Landis vs. French, 1960 box 07 folder 18 Las Vegas Sun vs. Southwestern, 1962 box 07 folder 19 Las Vegas Television, Incorporated, 1952 box 07 folder 20 Las Vegas Valley Water District, 1957 box 07 folder 21 Leprechaun Mining Company, 1991-1993 box 08 folder 01-05 Leprechaun Mining Company, 1989-1993 box 09 folder 01-03 Leprechaun Mining Company, 1989-1993 box 10 folder 01-08 Edward Levy, 1951 box 10 folder 09 Licensing Board of Clark County, 1961 box 10 folder 10 Liebman vs. Willig, 1962 box 10 folder 11 Louisiana Club, 1962 box 10 folder 12 George Liguori, 1966 box 10 folder 13 Dean Thomas Loveland, 1954 box 10 folder 14 - Page 7-
Dominick Julian, 1965 box 11 folder 01 Fountain Blue Cosmetic Corporation, 1961 box 11 folder 02 Lums, Incorporated, 1966 box 11 folder 03 E. L. Maitland, 1958 box 11 folder 04 Manzanita Mines, Incorporated, 1955 box 11 folder 05 Mapes Hotel vs. Sammy Davis, Jr., 1962 box 11 folder 06 Marianbee Land and Livestock Company, 1962-1963 box 11 folder 07 McCauley Badik, 1958 box 11 folder 08 Homer Medlock, 1959 box 11 folder 09 Bob Miller, 1965 box 11 folder 10 Morf Schroer, 1954 box 11 folder 11 John Monfred, 1957 box 11 folder 12 George Montague, 1957 box 11 folder 13 Moulin Rouge, Incorporated, 1961 box 11 folder 14 Nevada Resort Association, 1967 box 11 folder 15 Nevada Rock and Sand Company, 1962 box 11 folder 16 Nevada Title Guaranty Company, 1954 box 11 folder 17 Nevada TV Productions, Incorporated, 1978 box 11 folder 18 New El Morocco vs. Las Vegas Club, Incorporated, 1960 box 11 folder 19 New Frontier, 1955-1957 box 11 folder 20-33 New Frontier, 1955-1957 box 12 folder 01-09 Ray Nordstrom, 1982-1988 box 13 folder 01-07 Ray Nordstrom, 1982-1988 box 14 folder 01-04 Ray Nordstrom, 1982-1988 box 15 folder 01-07 Ray Oncken, 1955-1959 box 15 folder 08-14 Simon Ong, 1959 box 15 folder 15 Jacob Orleans, 1965 box 15 folder 16 Panel Housing, 1964 box 15 folder 17 Paradise Enterprises Company, Incorporated, 1954 box 15 folder 18 - Page 8-
Pincock vs. Hi Ho Club, 1958 box 15 folder 19 Milton Prell, 1970 box 15 folder 20 Royal Hotel, 1955 box 16 folder 01-06 Louie Prima, 1962-1965 box 16 folder 07-09 Primadonna Hotel, 1954 box 16 folder 10 Quality Builders, Incorporated, 1959 box 16 folder 11 Radio KLAS, 1963 box 16 folder 12-13 Matteucci vs. Schroeder, 1958 box 16 folder 14 Rainbow, Incorporated, 1962-1963 box 16 folder 15-17 Ray's, Incorporated, 1954 box 16 folder 18 Ruth Reynolds, 1953 box 16 folder 19 Walter Robinson, 1954 box 16 folder 20 Ray Rice, 1951 box 16 folder 21 Arturo Romero, 1985 box 16 folder 22-25 Royal Hotel, 1955 box 17 folder 01-43 Aloha Construction Company, 1963 box 18 folder 01-07 Sedway Wong, 1965 box 18 folder 08 Artie Selman, 1962 box 18 folder 09 Ernie Shamlin, 1954 box 18 folder 10 Shamrock Hotel, 1953 box 18 folder 11 Sierra Pacific Company, 1957 box 18 folder 12-16 Slipper Corporation, 1956 box 18 folder 17 Southern Great Basin Oil and Gas, Incorporated, 1954 box 18 folder 18 Nevada Historical Society, 1959 box 18 folder 19 Southern Nevada Industrial Foundation, 1967 box 18 folder 20 Southwestern Hotel Development Corporation, 1955 box 18 folder 21-29 Sovereign Television Corporation, 1964 - Page 9-
box 19 folder 01-04 Space Machine, 1965 box 19 folder 05 Sports Form, 1981 box 19 folder 06-10 Sports Form, 1981 box 20 folder 01-05 Stardust, 1959 box 20 folder 06 Stardust: Wells Enterprises, Incorporated, 1958 box 20 folder 07 Stardust: Thomas Turner, 1959 box 21 folder 01 Stardust: Gertrude Hollander, 1959 box 21 folder 02 Starlight Park, 1954 box 21 folder 03 State of Nevada, 1953 box 21 folder 04 Stewart Construction Company, 1962 box 21 folder 05-07 Stockmen's Hotel, 1956 box 21 folder 08 Student Aid Foundation, 1962 box 21 folder 09 Sunland Farms, Incorporated, 1955 box 21 folder 10 State of Nevada: The Nature Conservancy, 1967 box 21 folder 11 Hal Thompson, 1956 box 21 folder 12 Herbert Toor, 1961 box 21 folder 13 Toiyabe Supply, 1957 box 21 folder 14 USA v. Dallas Crain, 1954 box 21 folder 15 USA v. John Easton, 1954 box 21 folder 16 Lillian Wagley, 1963 box 21 folder 17 Warm Springs Country Club, 1965 box 21 folder 18 Helen Orr Watson, 1965 box 21 folder 19 Jack Weinstein, 1964 box 21 folder 20-21 Jean Wellman, 1961 box 21 folder 22 Wells-Stewart Construction Company, 1963 box 21 folder 23 Charles West, 1967 box 21 folder 24-25 Western Heating and Ventilating, Incorporated, 1956 - Page 10-
box 21 folder 26-27 Fong Wing, 1958 box 21 folder 28 Jess Wisdom, 1959 box 21 folder 29 Huey Young, 1954 box 21 folder 30 Zanzibar, Incorporated, 1962 box 21 folder 31 Z-L Enterprises, Incorporated, 1955 box 21 folder 32-33 Z. Louie, 1963 box 21 folder 34 - Page 11-