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Women of Clark County
Karen Hayes
1935 -
Karen Hayes served southern Nevada for over twenty years as a Nevada Assembly member and a Clark County Commissioner. She was in the Nevada State Assembly from 1975 to 1981, taking over from her husband, Keith Hayes, who left the seat after being appointed to the District Court by Governor O’Callaghan. Karen then ran for and won the Assembly seat. Later, she successfully campaigned for a position on the Clark County Commission and served three terms in 1982, 1986, and 1990.
In 1999, the Clark County School District named an elementary school after Karen and Keith Hayes in recognition of their service to Nevada.
Pictured: Karen Hayes. UNLV Libraries Single Item Accession Photograph Collection. UNLV University Libraries Special Collections & Archives.
Sources
- “Karen Hayes,” n.d. https://webfiles.clarkcountynv.gov/Parks%20&%20Recreation/Museum/Clark%20County%20Museum/Centennial/commissioners/commissioner-k-hayes.pdf.
- UNLV Special Collections Portal. “Karen Hayes Oral History Interview.” Accessed April 11, 2025. https://special.library.unlv.edu/ark%3A/62930/f18p8h.
For questions or comments, please reach out to the Clark County Museum at ccmuseum@clarkcountynv.gov.