Walter S. Baring Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1972 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNevada'sat-large district | |
| In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Clift Young |
| Succeeded by | David Towell |
| In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Charles H. Russell |
| Succeeded by | Clift Young |
| Member of theNevada State Assembly | |
| In office 1936 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Walter Stephan Baring, Jr. (1911-09-09)September 9, 1911 Goldfield, Nevada, U.S. |
| Died | July 13, 1975(1975-07-13) (aged 63) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | A. Geraldine Buchanan |
| Children | 4 |
| Profession | Teacher |
Walter Stephan Baring Jr. (September 9, 1911 – July 13, 1975) was an American politician who served ten terms as aUnited States representative fromNevada during the mid-20th century.
Baring was born inGoldfield, Nevada, to Emily L. and Walter Stephan Baring, his paternal grandparents were born in Germany and his maternal grandfather was fromBohemia.[1] His father served on theEsmeralda County Commission for a while, until he moved the family toReno. His father then managed a furniture store.
Baring graduated from the University of Nevada in 1934 with two bachelor's degrees. After graduating, he worked as a collector for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
In 1943, Baring joined theUnited States Navy to serve duringWorld War II.
Baring served as a Member of theNevada Assembly in 1936. He was subsequently reelected before joining the war effort. After the war, he was elected to the Reno City Council.
During the presidency ofFranklin Roosevelt, Baring strongly criticized the President'scourt-packing plan for theUnited States Supreme Court.
Baring was first elected to Nevada's sole seat in the House of Representatives in 1948, unseating first-term Republican incumbentCharles H. Russell by 761 votes. He was reelected in 1950, but in 1952, he was unexpectedly defeated by RepublicanCliff Young, who won that election by 771 votes. Baring ran against Young again in 1954, but Young again managed a narrow victory. In 1956, Young ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent DemocratAlan Bible, who narrowly defeated him in the general election. That same year, Baring ran for Congress again, defeating Las Vegas City AttorneyHoward Cannon in the Democratic primary before winning the general election. Baring was reelected in a landslide in 1958, while Cannon was elected to the U.S. Senate.
During his first two terms in Congress, Baring compiled a liberal voting record. After his return, however, he veered considerably to the right, billing himself as a "JeffersonianStates' Rights Democrat."[2] He usually voted with the conservative Southern wing of his party. He was critical ofJohn F. Kennedy[3] and voted against most ofLyndon Johnson'sGreat Society programs.[4] This angered many in his own party, and Baring often claimed, "No one likes Walter Baring but the voters."[5] He was known to equate liberalism with socialism andCommunism, and opposed foreign aid of any sort.
During the 1960s, Baring faced more strenuous opposition in the Democratic primaries than in the general elections, owing to his ability to attract large numbers of registered Republicans, especially in the northwest of the state.[3] In these contests, Baring was able to run up enough of a margin in the "CowCounties" (the more rural parts of Nevada) to overcome large deficits inClark andWashoe counties (home to Las Vegas and Reno, respectively).
Baring contended that theCivil Rights Movement was influenced by Communists.[6] He was nearly defeated for renomination in 1964 after leading the opposition to theCivil Rights Act of 1964.[2]
In 1972, Baring was narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary by a considerably more liberal Democrat, Las Vegas attorney and future CongressmanJames Bilbray. By this time Clark and Washoe counties were well into a period of explosive growth that continues today, and Bilbray's margin in those counties was too much for Baring to overcome. Claiming that Bilbray had smeared him, Baring endorsed the Republican nominee,David Towell, helping him win the general election in an upset.
After leaving Congress, Baring remained interested in politics, even flirting with a run for governor in 1974. However, a bout ofemphysema and heart strain ended that prospect. After undergoing surgery atHollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, he died of heart and lung failure on July 13, 1975, at the age of 63.[7][8]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNevada's at-large congressional district 1949–1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNevada's at-large congressional district 1957–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Territorial (1861–1864) |
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| One at-large seat (1864–1983) |
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| Districts (1983–present) (3rd district established in 2003) (4th district established in 2013) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
