John M. Laxalt, brother of former U.S. senator, dies

CARSON CITY -- Longtime Las Vegas resident John M. Laxalt, 85, the brother of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt, died Thursday in Carson City.

John Laxalt had been a lawyer and business consultant. Because of declining health, family members helped him move last month from Las Vegas to Carson City, where other family members live.

"I am ever thankful for having been blessed with such a loyal, kind and loving brother," Paul Laxalt said in a statement.

He credited his brother with helping him win his first statewide office as lieutenant governor in 1962 by volunteering to move to Las Vegas for the campaign.

"He was likewise instrumental in my campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate," Paul Laxalt said. "He built a legion of close friends in the Las Vegas area, many of whom became our core support in Southern Nevada."

John Laxalt's niece, Neena, called him her favorite uncle and a "lifelong jock" and follower of University of Nevada, Reno sports teams.

"He was not married, but he had 18 children by proxy from his brothers and sisters," she said. "He knew everything about all of us. He made you feel special, like you were the most important person in the world."

He also was a "diehard Republican." As recently as Wednesday, he told her about how pleased he was about former state Sen. Mark Amodei's victory in the 2nd Congressional District race.

John Laxalt was the fourth of six children of Therese and Dominique Laxalt of Carson City. His late brother, Robert, immortalized their sheepherder father in "Sweet Promised Land," a celebrated book about their returning to the Basque Country for a visit after many years of living in Nevada.

John Laxalt served in the Navy during World War II. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno and graduated from Santa Clara University. He received his law degree from Georgetown University.

He is survived by two sisters, Suzanne, of Carson City and Marie Bini of Santa Clara, Calif., and brother Paul, who lives in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.

Funeral arrangements are pending in Carson City.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.