Governor Emmet Derby Boyle

EMMET D. BOYLE, the thirteenth governor of Nevada and the first native born Nevodan governor, was born in Gold Hill, Nevada on July 26, 1879. His education was attained at the University of Nevada, where he earned an undergraduate degree in 1889 and a master’s in engineering in 1903. After establishing a successful career as a mechanical engineer, Boyle entered into politics. In 1910, he secured an appointment to serve as the state engineer of Nevada, a position he held until 1912. He also served as a member of the Nevada State Tax Commission from 1913 to 1914. Boyle next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in November 1914. He was reelected to a second term in 1918. During his tenure, the state tax system was restructured; teacher retirement benefits were improved; a state highway department was established; the position of state labor commissioner was established; workmen compensation benefits were advanced; and a state prohibition law was sanctioned. After declining to run for a third term, Boyle left office on January 1, 1923, and retired from political life. Governor Emmet D. Boyle passed away on January 3, 1926, and was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Reno, Nevada.