Just a little more about Governor Walter Peterson's role in 1969.

The Nevada State Assembly that year passed legislation, Assembly Bill 200, to hold a primary in March (ours was in March in those days) one week before New Hampshire's traditional First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary.

Nevada Governor Paul Laxalt called the sponsor of that bill into his office in late April of 1969, explaining to him that he had received a telephone call from Walter Peterson, AND a telegram from NH House Speaker Marshall Cobleigh, telling him that if that bill became law, New Hampshire would move its primary a week earlier. Governor Laxalt knew that would begin a "leap frog" situation, as he called it. (We needed him this past year!)

So, Governor Laxalt, on April 29, 1969, almost 39 years ago to the day, addressed the Nevada Assembly with his veto message, which by the way I read on the floor of the New Hampshire House today.

It appears that this was the first real effort by another state to pre-date our lead-off status, which we have held since 1916. This successful accomplishment by Walter Peterson and Marshall Cobleigh was before the 1975 legislation that I wrote authorizing the NH Secretary of State to automatically move our primary "...7 days or more..." before others, which has effectively given us our lead-off status ever since.

Congratulations, and thanks, to them both.