W.A., their father
Huguette's father, William Andrews Clark, sounded like the embodiment of the American dream: a Pennsylvania farm boy born in a log cabin, a prospector for gold, a banker, and U.S. senator from Montana. W.A. Clark was also a railroad baron, connecting the transcontinental lines to a sleepy California port called Los Angeles. And along the way, he auctioned off the lots that became downtown Las Vegas, which today is in Clark County. His political reputation was sullied by allegations that he paid legislators in Montana to send him to the Senate. After he resigned under pressure, he was re-elected and served a full term.
