Richard F. Proud | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20thSpeaker of the Nebraska Legislature | |
| In office January 1973 – January 1975 | |
| Preceded by | William H. Hasebroock |
| Succeeded by | Julius W. Burbach |
| Member of theNebraska Legislature from the 12th district | |
| In office 1965–1975 | |
| Succeeded by | Jerry Koch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard French Proud (1922-01-19)January 19, 1922 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | January 24, 2009(2009-01-24) (aged 87) Rifle, Colorado, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | |
| Occupation |
|
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | |
Richard French Proud (January 19, 1922 – January 24, 2009) was an American politician who served in theNebraska Legislature from 1965 to 1975.
Richard Proud was born inDes Moines, Iowa, on January 19, 1922. He moved toArapahoe, Nebraska, where he graduated from high school. Proud graduated from theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln before earning a degree from theUniversity of Colorado Law School. He was a second lieutenant with theUnited States Navy and commanded a landing craft in the Pacific Theater ofWorld War II.[1]
After the war, Proud became a lawyer and lobbyist forMutual of Omaha, where he worked for two decades.[1][2] He was first elected to theNebraska Legislature in November 1964,[2] and continually reelected from Omaha in district 12 until choosing not to run during the 1974 election cycle.[3][4][5] From 1973 to 1974, Proud was speaker of the state legislature.[4] From 1972 to 1973,[6][7] Proud led an effort to rescind Nebraska's ratification of the proposedEqual Rights Amendment, after legislative colleagueFern Hubbard Orme had backed the amendment's ratification.[2]
Under theNebraska Constitution, when both thegovernor andlieutenant governor are absent from the state, the powers and duties of the office of governor devolve on thespeaker of the Nebraska Legislature.[8] On September 24, 1974, both Nebraska GovernorJ. James Exon and Nebraska Lieutenant GovernorFrank Marsh were traveling outside the state, and thus the powers of the governor devolved on Proud as he was the current speaker of theNebraska Legislature. While acting as governor, Proud decided to call a special session of the Nebraska Legislature to meet on October 7 and discuss Nebraska's nine-percentusury limit.[9] When Governor Exon, who was traveling inSouth Dakota, heard about Proud's actions, he said he would rescind the order and called Proud's actions a "publicity stunt" and "one of the most irresponsible acts I've ever seen."[9][10] When Exon arrived back in Nebraska later that evening, he signed a proclamation canceling Proud's call for a special session.[11] Although Proud was rightfully the acting governor,Nebraska Attorney General Clarence Meyer ruled that Proud did not have authority to call a special session, basing his decision on an 1872Nebraska Supreme Court decision which argued that the Nebraska Constitution did not intend for acting governors to have all powers of the governor.[10] This decision was the result of a similar attempt byIsaac S. Hascall in 1872, then president of theNebraska Senate, who tried to call a session of the legislature while the acting governor was absent from the state.[12][11]
In the1976 United States Senate election in Nebraska, Proud lost theRepublican Party primary toJohn Y. McCollister.[13] After stepping down from the state legislature, Proud served the Nebraska Department of Welfare as deputy director and general counsel, as well as an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In retirement, Proud moved toBattlement Mesa, Colorado. He died inRifle, Colorado, on January 24, 2009.[1][4] A memorial was held in Battlement Mesa and Arapahoe, and Proud was interred in Arapahoe.[14]
If the Governor or the person in line of succession to serve as Governor is absent from the state... the powers and duties of the office of Governor shall devolve in order of precedence until the absence or inability giving rise to the devolution of powers ceases as provided by law.
| Nebraska Legislature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William H. Hasebroock | Member of theNebraska Legislature from the 12th district 1965–1975 | Succeeded by Gerald D. Koch |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by William H. Hasebroock | Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature 1973–1975 | Succeeded by Julius W. Burbach |
