Converse, Edmund.

Edmund Converse was the founder of Bonanza and Air West airlines. He was also an aviation advocate and a leader in the Republican Party. He was born in New York City in 1906. He grew up in California and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a law degree from Stanford University by 1934. He was on the staff of U.S. Senator Styles Bridges from 1937 to 1941 when he entered the Navy. He was in the Office of Naval Intelligence, the Pacific Fleet, and the Office of Strategic Services. In 1945 he founded Bonanza Airlines out of Las Vegas. He was President and Chairman of the Board until Bonanza merged into Air West Airlines where he became a Vice Chairman of the Board. During this period he was a ranking member of such aviation advocacy groups as the Air Transport Association of America, the Association of Local Transport Airlines, and the National Association of Manufacturers. His active interest in Republican politics was mainly expressed at the local level in Arizona and Nevada. He worked on the Dewey, Eisenhower, Goldwater, and Nixon campaigns serving on various business committees and attending state and national conventions. He was also active in the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary.