Meet Sharron
Sharron Angle was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon on July 26, 1949. Her father worked in the family business, a potato farm, until he enlisted in the Navy and fought in WWII. After WWII, her father was called up a second time for the Korean conflict. Sharron, her parents and her three younger brothers moved to Reno, Nevada after her father's discharge where they owned and operated a small motel for over 20 years.
Sharron Angle graduated from Wooster High School in Reno. Four years later, she earned her BA in Fine Arts from the University of Nevada Reno.
While a senior at University of Nevada Reno, Sharron married Ted Angle. Sharron and Ted have two children and ten grandchildren.
Upon graduation Sharron and her husband left Reno and spent the next 25 years living the rural Nevada towns of Ely, Winnemucca and Tonopah. During that time she worked as a substitute teacher in public schools; taught art courses at Western Nevada Community College (now Great Basin Community College) in Winnemucca for five years; and co-founded, administrated, and taught grades K-12 in a one-room Christian school of 24 students for two years. While in Tonopah, Sharron also tutored at Nye County Juvenile Justice for six years and operated the Tonopah Life Center (family-oriented fitness gym.)
Sharron was first elected in 1992 to the Nye County School Board of Trustees. The family moved back to Reno in 1995 and in 1998 she was elected to the Nevada State Assembly where she faithfully served until 2006 fighting for smaller government, lower taxes, and a better Nevada for future generations. She is proud of her past chairwomanship of We the People Nevada PAC that sponsored the Property Tax Restraint Initiative.
A true protector of the Nevada Constitution, Sharron has fought and won judicial battles to protect Nevadan's constitutional rights. In 2003 while serving as the Minority Whip in the Nevada State Assembly, Sharron challenged the Governor's proposed massive $800 million tax hike. Supported by Nevada's constitutional requirement that all tax increases be approved by a two-thirds super majority, battle lines were drawn between the Republicans in the Assembly and the Governor. Sharron and fourteen other courageous Republicans consistently voted against the tax measure through the end of the regular session of the legislature and on through two special sessions. The Governor then sued the legislature in Angle v Guinn to force a decision by the Nevada Supreme Court. The Court over-ruled the two-thirds requirement which meant the taxes were to be imposed through a simple majority rather than by two-thirds vote. Using her own funds, Sharron hired Dr. John Eastman of the Claremont Institute to defend the Nevada's Constitution against this injury. Angle and Eastman took this case to Federal District Court in Nevada, which ended up referring the case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, then finally to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The attention from Angle v Guinn resulted in the members of the Nevada Supreme Court which made that ruling either retired or were replaced through election defeat. Subsequently the new Court reversed the decision in 2007 reinstating the two-thirds requirement in the Constitution. In recognition of her fight to protect the Constitution, Sharron received the prestigious Claremont Institute Ronald Reagan Freedom Medallion for Courageous Client in 2004.
Though this was a personally costly case for Sharron to defend, this is precisely what she believes the founding fathers meant when they said we must "pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" to protect our freedom and liberty.
In addition to her proud service in the Nevada legislature, Sharron has been an active member of the Republican Party for many years. She currently serves on the Nevada State Central Committee and has been the chairman of the Washoe County GOP precinct organization effort.
Sharron Angle is also a proud member of the Gun Owners of America, National Right to Life Committee, Concerned Women for America, Nevada Republican Assembly, Washoe County Republican Party, and Fellowship Community Church.
Legislative Service:
- 4 Term Assemblywoman for Washoe County, 1998 - 2006
- Assembly Committee on Education, 1999 - 2005
- Assembly Committee on Elections, Procedures & Ethics, 2005
- Assembly Committee on Health & Human Services, 1999 - 2005
- Assembly Committee on Judiciary, 1999 - 2005
- Legislative Audit Commission, 2003 - 2006
Public Service:
- Small Business Manager, 1987 - Present
- Substitute Teacher in Nye, Washoe & White Pine counties for 25 years
- Instructor, Western Nevada Community College, 1977-83
- Lead Teacher at Word of Light Christian Academy - Winnemucca, 1983-84
- Juvenile Probation Tutor & Community Service Supervisor, 1989 -1996
- Nye County School District Board of Trustees, 1993-1996
- Sexual Harassment Investigator, 1996
- Nevada State Senatorial Aide/Volunteer, 1997 Regular Session
- Sponsor, Nevada Property Restraint Initiative (Proposition 13 for Nevada)
- Governor's Commission on Aging
- Adult Literary Task Force
- Nevada Commission on Substance Abuse Task Force
- High Level Radioactive Waste Commission.