LAS VEGAS ICON JOHN MORAN, JR. By Mark Fierro and Jeff Haney
W
hen he retired as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission in September as the longest-serving gaming commissioner in state history, John Moran Jr. left behind one of the most extraordinary legacies in Nevada public service, only to embark upon the next chapter of his distinguished career in the legal arena. A Las Vegan through and through, Moran was 6 weeks old when he arrived here with his parents in 1946. A graduate of Fifth Street Elementary School and Western High School, Moran served his country in Vietnam with the Navy before returning to earn his degree at UNLV in 1971 and his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles in 1975. Before entering public service, Moran established the Moran Law Firm. In private practice, Moran represented many of the original players who made Las Vegas what it is today.
Moran never lost the common touch. Whenever he was asked about what type of law he practiced or who he preferred to represent, Moran would invariably answer: “Anyone who comes up the stairs.” A son of late Clark County Sheriff John Moran Sr., Moran met his wife Marilyn, daughter of Stardust hotel-casino president Herb Tobman, when she was working in the cage at the Stardust and Moran was a lifeguard at the hotel’s pool. Married in 1970, the couple have four married children and seven grandchildren. In addition to serving a record 14 years on the Gaming Commission, Moran served as a member and chairman of both the Colorado River Commission and the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners. He was appointed to the three state commissions, and as chairman, by five different Nevada governors, two Democrats and three Republicans: Govs. Bob Miller, Kenny Guinn, Jim Gibbons, Brian Sandoval and Steve
