Brian McKay

Brian McKay
31st Attorney General of Nevada
In office
January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1991
Preceded byRichard Bryan
Succeeded byFrankie Sue Del Papa
Personal details
Born1945
Political partyRepublican
EducationColgate University
Albany Law School (JD)

Brian McKay is an American attorney and politician who served as the 28th Nevada Attorney General from 1983 to 1991. McKay also served as chairman of the Nevada Republican Party from 1992 to 1995.

Early life and education

Mckay was born in Billings, Montana, in 1945. He served in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1969. After his discharge, McKay attended Colgate University, graduating in 1971, and received a Juris Doctor from the Albany Law School in 1974.[1]

Career

After law school, McKay became a Deputy Attorney General, working there for four years. McKay represented the Colorado River Commission, served as Chief Legal Counsel to the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, and was special counsel for the University of Nevada.[1]

McKay joined the Advisory Policy Board of the National Crime Information Center in 1985, serving three terms.[1]

McKay was elected Nevada's Attorney General in 1982, defeating Democrat B. Mahlon Brownn the former U.S. attorney for Nevada.[2] McKay was re-elected in 1986 against Clark County District Attorney Roy A. Woofter.[3]

During his first Christmas as Attorney General, McKay issued an advisory opinion in response to questions by Nevada children and confirmed that Santa Clause is indeed real.[4]

In April 1987, McKay represented Nevada at the United States Supreme Court in Sumner v. Shuman, in which the court held that a death sentence cannot be mandatory.[5][6]

After leaving office, McKay served as a member of the Federal Trade Commission and as the chair of the Nevada Republican Party from 1992 to 1995.[1] As chairman, McKay filed complaints against the Nevada Democratic Party with the FEC for financial disclosure violations.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Brian McKay, 28th Nevada Attorney General" (PDF). Nevada Attorney General's Office. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  2. ^ "FBI Reviewing Record Request In '82 Campaign". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-08-28.
  3. ^ 1986 Attorney General General Election Results - Nevada
  4. ^ Cafferat, Patricia (October 14, 2014). Christmas in Nevada. University of Nevada Press. pp. 144–145. ISBN 9780874179507.
  5. ^ Transcript
  6. ^ Taylor, Stuart (June 23, 1987). "Court Eliminates Mandatory Death Sentence". New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  7. ^ FEC Complaint
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Nevada
January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1991 		Succeeded by