Richard Proud

Richard F. Proud
20th Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature
In office January 1973 – January 1975
Preceded by	William H. Hasebroock
Succeeded by	Julius W. Burbach
Personal details
Born	(1922-01-19)January 19, 1922 Des Moines, Iowa
Died	January 24, 2009(2009-01-24) (aged 87) Rifle, Colorado
Occupation	Lawyer, politician

Richard French Proud (January 19, 1922 – January 24, 2009) was an American politician who served in the Nebraska Legislature from 1965 to 1975.

Early life

Richard Proud was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 19, 1922. He moved to Arapahoe, Nebraska, where he graduated from high school. Proud graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln before earning a degree from the University of Colorado Law School. He was a second lieutenant with the United States Navy and commanded a landing craft in the Pacific Theater of World War II.^[1]

Career

After the war, Proud became a lawyer and lobbyist for Mutual of Omaha, where he worked for two decades.^[1][2] He was first elected to the Nebraska Legislature in November 1964,^[2] and continually reelected from Omaha in district 12 until choosing not to run during the 1974 election cycle.^[3][4][5] From 1973 to 1974, Proud was speaker of the state legislature.^[4] From 1972 to 1973,^[6][7] Proud led an effort to rescind Nebraska's ratification of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, after legislative colleague Fern Hubbard Orme had backed the amendment's ratification.^[2] In the 1976 United States Senate election in Nebraska, Proud lost the Republican Party primary to John Y. McCollister.^[8]

After stepping down from the state legislature, Proud served the Nebraska Department of Welfare as deputy director and general counsel, as well as an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In retirement, Proud moved to Battlement Mesa, Colorado. He died in Rifle, Colorado, on January 24, 2009.^[1][4] A memorial was held in Battlement Mesa and Arapahoe, and Proud was interred in Arapahoe.^[9]

References

1. "Richard "Dick" Proud". Omaha World-Herald. January 28, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
2. Schneider, Elizabeth F. (May 2010). THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS: NEBRASKA'S RESCISSION OF THE PROPOSED EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT, 1972-1973 (MA). Bowling Green State University. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.882.503.
3. "Acting Nebraska Governor Calls Legislature in Session". New York Times. Associated Press. September 25, 1974. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
4. "ONE HUNDRED FIRST LEGISLATURE FIRST SESSION LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION 28" (PDF). Nebraska Legislature. 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
5. http://nebraskaccess.nebraska.gov/scripts/leg_search2.asp?name2search=&freetext=&district=12&county=&body=^{[bare URL]}
6. "Nebraska's On-Again Off-Again Relationship with the Equal Rights Amendment". Government of Nebraska. History Nebraska. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
7. "TENNESSEE SETS BACK VOTE ON AMENDMENT". New York Times. United Press International. March 20, 1974. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
8. "Our Campaigns - NE US Senate - R Primary Race - May 11, 1976". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
9. "Richard F. Proud". Lincoln Journal Star. January 27, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2021.

Nebraska Legislature
Preceded by William H. Hasebroock	Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 12th district 1965–1975	Succeeded by Gerald D. Koch
Political offices
Preceded by William H. Hasebroock	Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature 1973–1975	Succeeded by Julius W. Burbach