Berkeley L. Bunker
| Berkeley L. Bunker | |
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United States Senator from Nevada |
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In office November 27, 1940 – December 6, 1942 |
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| Preceded by | Key Pittman |
| Succeeded by | James G. Scrugham |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's At-Large district | |
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In office January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 |
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| Preceded by | Maurice J. Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | Charles H. Russell |
| Member of the Nevada State Assembly | |
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In office 1936–1941 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Berkeley Lloyd Bunker August 12, 1906 St. Thomas, Nevada |
| Died | January 21, 1999 (aged 92) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Lucile Whitehead |
| Profession | Insurance |
| Religion | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) |
Berkeley Lloyd Bunker (August 12, 1906 – January 21, 1999) was a United States Senator and Representative from Nevada.
Born in what was then St. Thomas, Clark County, Nevada (now a northern arm of Lake Mead), he attended public schools, graduating from Clark County High School in 1926. Bunker married Lucile Whitehead, then entered the tire and oil business in Las Vegas in 1934.
The Democrat Bunker was a member of the Nevada Assembly from 1936 to 1941, serving as speaker in 1939. When United States Senator Key Pittman died just after reelection in 1940, many candidates sought to be appointed as replacement. On November 26, Governor Edward P. Carville surprised the state and appointed Bunker as Pittman's replacement for the term ending January 3, 1941, and also for the term ending January 3, 1947 serving until December 6, 1942 when a duly elected successor qualified.
The young new senator, whom Carville likely chose as a compromise candidate because (as an observer later said) "Nobody was mad at Berkeley Bunker", later claimed to be the "most surprised man in the state" as he had not asked for the job. Bunker was the first southern Nevadan, and first Nevadan Mormon, to serve in federal office. As a Senator he made headlines by accusing Basic Magnesium of having negotiated a contract with the government to get exorbitant profits.
Bunker lost to former governor James Scrugham in the Democratic primary for the 1942 special election, but was elected in 1944 as a Democrat to Nevada's only House seat, after defeating incumbent Maurice Sullivan in the primary and Republican former actor Rex Bell in the general election. In 1946 He introduced a bill to incorporate Boulder City, Nevada removing it from Federal control, but the bill never made it out of committee.
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