Helen Herr
Dublin Core
Title
Helen Herr
Subject
Source
Women in Nevada History: A Legacy Digital Project
Publisher
Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN)
Rights
This resource is available for education and research purposes. This collection is a collaboration and combination of various projects including, but not limited to; the Women in Nevada History: A Legacy Digital Project, the Nevada Women’s Archives, the Las Vegas Women Oral History Project and the Makers: Women in Nevada History Project, a co-production of the Women's Research Institute of Nevada and VegasPBS. The text, images, audio and video in this collection are under copyright by different repositories and may not be reproduced without express written consent of the appropriate entities.
Person Item Type Metadata
Work/Contribution
First woman State Senator
Birth Date
August 3, 1907
Birthplace
Arrival in Las Vegas
1948
Death Date
June 23, 1999
Biographical Text
Helen Herr was the first woman elected to the Nevada State Senate in 1966. She worked to protect the interests of women and children in the state. She was able to break into the male-only environment of the Legislature and pass bills to improve the quality of life for Nevadans.
Helen Herr was born in 1907. She moved to Las Vegas in 1948 at the advice of her doctor because of its drier climate. She opened her own real estate firm in 1949, Helen Herr Realty. Herr served in the Assembly as a Democrat from 1957-1961 and again from 1963-1966. She then sought a seat in the Nevada State Senate in 1966 and became the first woman elected to the position. Herr served in the Senate until 1976 when she lost in the Democratic primary. Herr blamed her loss on her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). She opposed the ERA because she felt it did not support working women and would create more issues than it could solve. Herr also served as the chair of Nevada’s Stop ERA campaign. Despite her defeat in the primary, Nevada voters defeated the ERA on a referendum question.
Helen Herr passed important bills while in the Senate. She sponsored a bill in 1973 that guaranteed equal pay for equal work for men and women. She also worked to improve conditions in the state’s prisons. She became the first woman elected to the Nevada Senate Hall of Fame in 1993. Herr passed away in 1999 from heart failure.
Helen Herr was born in 1907. She moved to Las Vegas in 1948 at the advice of her doctor because of its drier climate. She opened her own real estate firm in 1949, Helen Herr Realty. Herr served in the Assembly as a Democrat from 1957-1961 and again from 1963-1966. She then sought a seat in the Nevada State Senate in 1966 and became the first woman elected to the position. Herr served in the Senate until 1976 when she lost in the Democratic primary. Herr blamed her loss on her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). She opposed the ERA because she felt it did not support working women and would create more issues than it could solve. Herr also served as the chair of Nevada’s Stop ERA campaign. Despite her defeat in the primary, Nevada voters defeated the ERA on a referendum question.
Helen Herr passed important bills while in the Senate. She sponsored a bill in 1973 that guaranteed equal pay for equal work for men and women. She also worked to improve conditions in the state’s prisons. She became the first woman elected to the Nevada Senate Hall of Fame in 1993. Herr passed away in 1999 from heart failure.
Bibliography
Koch, Ed and Cy Ryan. “First Woman State Senator, Real Estate Broker Herr Dies.” Las Vegas Sun. 01 July 1999. Photo courtesy of the Research Library, Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau.
Collection
Citation
“Helen Herr,” Makers Teaching Modules, accessed October 5, 2026, https://mail.makersteachingmodules.sites.unlv.edu/items/show/52.