Paul Laxalt - Personal Life

Personal Life

Laxalt's brother, Robert Laxalt, was a noted and prolific writer. His book Sweet Promised Land, which told the story of his father returning to his Basque homeland after almost 50 years in the American West, was internationally acclaimed and won several literary awards. Laxalt, the oldest child of Dominique and Therese Laxalt, had five siblings: Robert, Sue, John, Marie and Peter. As noted, Robert was an acclaimed journalist and author; Sue was a Roman Catholic nun; John, a lawyer and political consultant; Marie, a school teacher; and Peter, (Mick) an attorney.

Laxalt was married in 1946 to Jackalyn Ross (1927-2004), the daughter of John Rolly Ross, who was a Federal judge in Nevada. The couple had five daughters (Gail, Sheila, Michelle, Kevin and Kathleen) and one son (John Paul). They divorced in 1972. He has twelve grandchildren and four great-grand children. Laxalt is currently married to his second wife, Carol, who had one daughter (Denise) from a previous marriage. After he retired from the Senate, Paul and Carol Laxalt continued to reside in Northern Virginia. When he was able to travel to Nevada, Laxalt liked to make his way to the family property near Marlette Lake, which sits about 1000 feet above Lake Tahoe's eastern shores. Laxalt's father bought the property originally as a sheep camp and a location for his flocks to graze during the summer months. Paul Laxalt described Marlette Lake as his "slice of heaven on earth." Laxalt also owns a cabin overlooking Front Royal, Virginia. He used the cabin as a "weekend getaway" during his second Senate term. He famously refused to install a phone in the cabin. On several occasions, the maintenance person in the community clubhouse would knock on the cabin door and say breathlessly, "President Reagan just called for you!"