The oldest Nevada legislator paid lawmakers a visit to the Senate on Thursday, which passed a resolution commemorating him. Wilbur Faiss is 101 years old and served two terms in the Senate from 1976 to 1984.
Faiss came to Nevada in 1944 and was a small business owner in what was then an unincorporated area of Clark County. Faiss was also a volunteer firefighter and one of the first workers at the Nevada Test Site.
He said he’s especially proud to have voted for the federal Equal Rights Amendment in 1977. Faiss helped the measure clear the senate, but it would die in the assembly, however he said it helped pave the way for many laws intended to prevent discrimination.
In addition to being a statesman, Faiss is known for having one of the longest marriages in America. He and his wife, Theresa, were married for seventy-nine years, until she passed away in 2012 at 97.
Faiss said he hopes to pay the Nevada State Legislature another visit during the next session — he will be 103.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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