George A. Bartlett Papers

George Arthur Bartlett was born in San Francisco, California, on November 30, 1869 but moved to Eureka, Nevada, at a young age. Bartlett was educated in Nevada public schools, received a law degree in 1894 from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and returned to Eureka to begin his career practicing law. Bartlett was elected district attorney for Eureka County in 1898 and served a two year term. Bartlett moved his law practice to the new and thriving town of Tonopah in 1901 and five years later was elected to the United States Congress on the Democratic Silver Party ticket. He was re-elected in 1908 and served for two terms.

George Bartlett married Pearl Gates in 1899; they had four children. At the close of his two terms in Congress, the Bartlett's moved to Reno where he practiced law with prominent attorney, Frank N. Norcross. Bartlett was appointed District Judge of Washoe County in 1918 and again in 1921. He was then elected to the bench on his own merits and served from June 1, 1921 to December 31, 1930. On his retirement from the bench, Judge Bartlett devoted his time to private practice.

George Bartlett, one of the state's most prominent men, was very involved in Nevada politics. Bartlett's obituaries claimed he granted more than 20,000 divorces, earning him the sobriquet of "the divorce judge." His views on marriage and divorce, gleaned from his experience in handling scores of divorce cases during his career, were expressed in the book, Men, Women and Conflict, published in 1931 and re-issued in 1947 as Is Marriage Necessary? Bartlett also played a significant role in adjudication of water rights allocations of the Humboldt River and the Carson-Truckee Irrigation District.

Judge George Bartlett died at age 81 in Reno, Nevada, on June 1, 1951.