FAREWELL TO FRANK
community service. The exposure also expanded my clientele,“ Fahrenkopf states. During the 1970s, small state lawyers were
generalists whose expertise covered multiple disciplines. Fahrenkopf first encountered gaming as counsel for family who had built the Las Vegas Hilton, the original Las Vegas and Reno MGM hotels and a small Reno casino. He also represented other gaming companies before state regulators. It was Howard Hughes‘s death in 1976 that launched Fahrenkopf’s national career because his work interacted with Hogan & Hartson – his future firm in Washington D.C. They represented Hughes’s tax issues, but the mogul’s five casinos and land required Nevada counsel. Triumphing over tough legal competition,
Fahrenkopf says, “I survived beauty contest interviews despite objections to my northern Nevada practice. Next came five fascinating years of estate work and frequent travel to Washington.”
POLITICS AND POWER OF THE ‘70s and ‘80s
Fahrenkopf credits his friend, respected former
Nevada governor and senator Paul Laxalt, with his parallel professional and political opportunities. Coincidentally, Laxalt was also best friends with Ronald Reagan, the governor of California from 1967-1975. “As governors of adjacent states during the same
years, they spent time at Lake Tahoe. I knew Mr. Reagan through that relationship and as Chairman of the state Republican chairmen,” says Fahrenkopf. When Reagan won the 1980 presidential election,
the Republican National Committee (RNC) offered Fahrenkopf its chairmanship position. He refused, but did accept their second offer in 1982. “The 1982 mid-term election damaged the
Republican Party. So, when the White House again approached me, I became Chairman of the RNC in January 1983,” states Fahrenkopf. He traveled to every state and represented all
Republican activities like overseeing governors, state legislatures and Congressional members. Fahrenkopf says, “My years of experience running grass roots campaigns helped me organize and train people to win elections.” Following Reagan’s 1984 re-election, Fahrenkopf
agreed to another four years. He respected their relationship and describes a specific protocol between them. He says, “President Reagan initiated 99% of the
conversations. You didn’t just call the White House – it was always arranged. I always publicly and privately called him ‘Mr. President.’ “The President held a 90-minute Cabinet Room
leadership meeting every other Tuesday. The group included the President, the Vice President and the elected House and Senate Republican Party leadership. Unlike today, we only needed a security pass.”
Fahrenkopf frequently traveled with President
Reagan on Air Force One. He has framed and mounted his official first flight certificate on his AGA office wall. Fahrenkopf marvels at his good fortune and front
row seat to history as a part of what he calls the “Reagan legacy.“ He says, “I was thrilled to participate in the democracy movement before the Berlin Wall fell, working with leaders like Margaret Thatcher, Jacques Chirac and Helmut Kohl.“ In 1985, Fahrenkopf and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Paul Kirk established the non-partisan Commission for Presidential Debates. The group has conducted every presidential and vice-presidential debate since 1988. Fahrenkopf still co-chairs the Commission.
A NEW JOB COMES HIS WAY Fahrenkopf resigned from the RNC in 1989 and
returned to Hogan & Hartson’s international trade practice. A twist of fate and a chance conversation with Hilton Hotels President Raymond “Skip” Avansino in 1992 was the first step of his AGA career. Representing the American Pasta Association,
Fahrenkopf described the effectiveness of Washington lobbyists and lawyers. He questioned gaming‘s lack of Washington representation, despite billions in capital investments. Avansino soon organized a national trade association in 1994, hiring Fahrenkopf to prepare legal papers. However, the group stalled until the Clinton Administration proposed a 4% gross receipts federal gambling tax that year. Nevada Governor Bob Miller, a Clinton friend, delivered a petition with over 30 governors‘
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