Fred B. Balzar
Nevada’s 15th state governor
Nevada legalized wide-open gambling and adopted its six-week divorce residency rule in 1931, during his administration. Hoover Dam construction and the Depression transformed the setting for those decisions. Balzar died in office in 1934.
Before the governor’s office
Balzar worked in transportation, ranching and mining before serving as a legislator and Mineral County sheriff. [1]
The administration in context
Nevada legalized wide-open gambling and adopted its six-week divorce residency rule in 1931, during his administration. Hoover Dam construction and the Depression transformed the setting for those decisions. Balzar died in office in 1934. [1]
Key dates
People in the same story
James G. Scrugham
The preceding administration in Nevada’s succession. [2]
Read the profileMorley I. Griswold
The following administration in Nevada’s succession. [2]
Read the profileIn the archive
4 matching entries in the saved collection.
1927 legislative address — Fred B. Balzar
An original message by Fred B. Balzar preserved in the Nevada Legislature’s historical address collection.
1929 legislative address — Fred B. Balzar
An original message by Fred B. Balzar preserved in the Nevada Legislature’s historical address collection.
1931 legislative address — Fred B. Balzar
An original message by Fred B. Balzar preserved in the Nevada Legislature’s historical address collection.
1933 legislative address — Fred B. Balzar
An original message by Fred B. Balzar preserved in the Nevada Legislature’s historical address collection.
Go deeper into the record.
Sources for this profile and starting points for further research. Access notes mark links we could not open directly during the October 3–4, 2026 checks. Historical accounts describe their own period; they do not necessarily describe current operations.
- 1
Fred B. Balzar — gubernatorial biography
A retrospective reference. Use the linked legislative records to investigate the administration in its own words.
- 2
Governors and State of the State addresses, 1864–present
Includes original speeches and distinguishes acting service from elected terms. A speech records proposals and claims, not proof that a policy succeeded.