Bill Briare Remembered for spreading the word about the positive side of Las Vegas Bill Briare, mayor of Las Vegas from 1975 to 1987, gives a thumbs-up before going for a ride in a military aircraft in this undated photo from his days in office. REVIEW-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Former Las Vegas Mayor William "Bill" Briare, who traveled the world promoting Las Vegas during three terms as the city's chief executive, died Friday morning. He was 76.

Briare was remembered as a family man with charm who led the city from 1975 to 1987.

Former Mayor Ron Lurie said that Briare was the perfect delegate for Las Vegas and that his efforts led to growth in tourism and the region's prominence. His travels across the country and the world frequently resulted in articles in local papers.

"He was a true ambassador of Las Vegas," Lurie said. "That is one thing he always felt very strongly about: making Las Vegas the number-one destination for conventions and tourists. He believed it would build the economy and build interest in people living here."

A Review-Journal article from 1975, shortly after Briare took the city reigns, said he was so enthusiastic about Las Vegas that people asked whether he was president of the Chamber of Commerce.

"'No, I'm not,' I tell them. It's just that Las Vegas is the most exciting city in the world and, as far as I'm concerned, being mayor of this city is the most exciting job in the world."

While Briare, a Democrat, oversaw Sin City, he had a reputation as a family man who often clashed with adult businesses.

"He always thought his greatest accomplishments were his family," said Jim Briare, one of his six children. "His political legacy was integrity, hard work and responsible governing."

His public tenure came during a key time when control of casinos shifted from organized crime figures to corporations.

Jim Briare said his father would tell the story on the campaign trail about how he once solicited a campaign contribution from a corporate casino head. That casino owner finally agreed and began a weeks-long process to cut him a check.

When he went to an old-school casino mogul and asked for a campaign contribution, that owner left the room and came back with a wad of cash so thick that it wouldn't fit into his pockets.

"That was the old Vegas contrasted with the new Vegas," Jim Briare said.

Bill Briare was born in Long Beach, Calif., and moved to Las Vegas in 1955. He was a successful investor and businessman in insurance, real estate and a family cookie shop, his family said.

He was elected to the Nevada Legislature in 1960, serving two years before being elected to the Clark County Commission in 1962.

He left public office in 1968, only to return to run for mayor of Las Vegas in 1975.

He faced a crowded field of formidable opponents that year and managed to get into a runoff with Harry Reid, now Nevada's senior U.S. senator.

Hank Thornley, a former councilman, remembered that Briare approached him for an endorsement in the general election against Reid.

"He came in and he said, 'Could you see fit to endorse me?'" Thornley said. "I told him I knew Harry Reid as much as Bill and told him I couldn't. But we always remained friends after that."

Thornley remembered him as an effective campaigner who made the most of his affable personality.

"He could disagree without being disagreeable. His nature was affable, very diplomatic. He knew what he wanted, what he wanted to accomplish, and was resolute," he said.

Lurie, who served as mayor pro tem under Briare and succeeded him, said Briare was careful during council meetings to present the city as an orderly place.

"He was very soft-spoken," Lurie said. "If we had a difference on something, he'd try to work it out so when we went to the meetings, we'd be able to handle issues in a fashion that would represent the city well."

Mayor Oscar Goodman said in a prepared statement, "Of all the mayors, he was the most beloved. He always had a smile on his face, and he was a great people person who brought respect to the office of the mayor."

His promotion of the city didn't always extend to a promotion of himself, Jim Briare said. "He was never one to toot his own horn. There really aren't a lot of memorials around to him."

It was only in September that the Las Vegas City Council named a park in his honor, the Bill Briare Family Park.

"It surprised people that my dad, while mayor, had his phone number listed in the phone book," Jim Briare said. "People would call when it was raining, saying the backyard was flooding" and ask what they should do.

Twelve years ago, Bill Briare ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.

He was an avid photographer and involved in a number of community-based charities.

He died of complications from Alzheimer's, with which he had been diagnosed about two years ago, Jim Briare said.

The ex-mayor's first wife, Jo, died in 1988. He remarried and is survived by his wife, Susan; his children, Linda, Bill, Don, Bob, Tim and Jim; Susan's daughter, Lori Wolfe; his brother, Vincent Briare; 19 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.