Peter J. Goicoechea (born September 8, 1949) is an American politician who served as the Nevada State Senator from the 19th district from 2012 to 2024. He previously served in the

Nevada Assembly The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada, the upper house being the Nevada Senate. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member distri ...

, representing the 35th district from 2002 to 2012. A member of the Republican Party, he was House Minority Leader from 2009 to 2012.

Early life and education

Goicoechea was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

on September 8, 1949. Of

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

descent, his grandfather, also named Pete Goicoechea was a fisherman who lived and worked in a town located on the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

. In the early 20th century, his grandfather immigrated to the United States. Goicoechea studied at

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

Career

He has owned a ranch since 1970 and also worked for many years for the

Eureka County, Nevada Eureka County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,855, making it the second-least populous county in Nevada. Its county seat is Eureka. Eureka County is part of the Elko Micropolitan Statist ...

road department. He served on the Eureka County Commission from 1987 to 2002 and then was elected to the Nevada State Assembly. He has also served as a member of the Nevada State Land Use Planning Advisory Council, the Nevada Grazing Board, and he has been the Director of the Nevada Water Resource Association. He is affiliated with the Eureka Volunteer Fire Department,

E Clampus Vitus The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV) is a fraternal organization dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of the Western United States, especially the history of the Mother Lode#California Mother Lode, Mother Lode and gold ...

, the

Humboldt River The Humboldt River is the longest river in the northern and central part of Nevada. It extends in a general east-to-west direction from its headwaters in northern Nevada's Jarbidge Mountains, Jarbidge, Independence Mountains, Independence, and ...

Authority, and the Nevada Rural Health Center.

Personal life

Goicoechea is a Catholic. He and his wife Glady are the parents of two children.

References

External links

Project Vote Smart bio for Goicoechea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goicoechea, Pete 1949 births American people of Basque descent Politicians from Salt Lake City Utah State University alumni People from Eureka, Nevada Living people Republican Party members of the Nevada Assembly Republican Party Nevada state senators American politicians of Basque descent 21st-century members of the Nevada Legislature