Born in Brooklyn, New York, October 24th, 1870, he lived in East Orange, New Jersey, where he attended school. And from the age of sixteen to nineteen, Tasker Oddie lived on a ranch in Nebraska.
After returning to New York City from Nebraska he attended night law school, from which he was graduated, and in 1895 was admitted to the New York Bar. Then in 1898 Oddie came to Nevada in the interest of his New York employers to investigate conditions in their mining, railroad, banking and other interests in that State.
He uncovered frauds which were being perpetrated on his employers, and as a result they recovered large sums of money which they had lost.
The following year Oddie headed for the mining field, going into the most inaccessible, sparsely inhabited and mountainous districts of Southern Nevada. He underwent hardships, working the most difficult manual labor, learning the practical side of mining as well as the scientific side.
Around 1900, Oddie became interested in the original discovery of the Tonopah mines with his friend, the famous Jim Butler, their discoverer, and they made a fortune in both gold and silver. Goldfield and other important mining camps were soon discovered as the result of the opening up of the Tonopah District, and millions of dollars a year were produced by each of these camps.
Their discovery meant the building of of new railroads, the new towns and the reemergence of mining industry in western Nevada. Unfortunately Oddie was so heavily invested in mining, banks, ranches, stock-raising and other industries that when the panic of 1907 hit, he was unable to weather the storm.
From 1901 to 1903, Oddie was Nye County District Attorney, from 1904 to 1908 State Senator and again from 1921 to 1933 and Governor from 1911 to 1915. During his tenure, women got the right to vote, a state motor vehicle law was sanctioned, mining safety legislation was endorsed, and there were improvements to workmen’s compensation benefits.
He also signed the charter creating Las Vegas on March 17th, 1911. Mount Oddie near Tonopah is named after him, as is Oddie Boulevard in Sparks.
Oddie died February 17th, 1950 in San Francisco, California, at the age of 79. He is buried at Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City, Nevada.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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