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Women of Clark County
Lorraine Hunt-Bono
1939 -
Lorraine Hunt-Bono has had a long career in Las Vegas as an entertainer, business owner, and Clark County Commissioner. She went on to serve two terms as lieutenant governor of Nevada.
She moved to Las Vegas with her family in 1943 and graduated from Las Vegas High School. She attended Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles, California and then performed as a singer in Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Las Vegas.
In 1972, she and her then husband opened the Bootlegger Restaurant, which became a favorite spot for those who performed on the Vegas strip. In 1994, Hunt-Bono entered local politics and was elected to the Clark County Commission. While on the County Commission, she also became the first woman to serve as the chair of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Four years later, in 1998, she was elected lieutenant governor and was reelected in 2002. As the lieutenant governor, she focused on Nevada’s tourism and economic growth. In 2006, she ran for the Republican nomination for governor but lost in the primary.
Pictured: Lorraine Hunt-Bono, 2017. Sam Morris, Las Vegas New Bureau. LVCVA Archive.
Sources
- “Lorraine Hunt Bono,” Makers Teaching Modules, accessed April 17, 2025, https://makersteachingmodules.sites.unlv.edu/items/show/11
- “Lorraine Hunt.” In Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Accessed May 4, 2025. https://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/lorraine-hunt.
For questions or comments, please reach out to the Clark County Museum at ccmuseum@clarkcountynv.gov.