Dale Payne
Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 3rd district
In office January 1, 1963 – January 6, 1969
Preceded by	Edwin McHugh
Succeeded by	Orval Keyes
Personal details
Born	(1917-11-24)November 24, 1917 Smith County, Kansas
Died	June 1, 2008(2008-06-01) (aged 90) Mentone, California
Party	Republican
Spouse	Eleanor Petrasek ​ (m. 1948)​
Education	Glendale Junior College Walla Walla College
Occupation	Real estate broker, building contractor, lobbyist
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Air Forces

Dale Payne (November 24, 1917 – June 1, 2008) was a Republican politician from Nebraska who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 3rd district from 1963 to 1969.

Early life

Payne was born in Smith County, Kansas, in 1917, and grew up in Kansas.^[1][2] He attended Glendale Junior College and Walla Walla College,^[1] and served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.^[2] Payne moved to Bellevue, Nebraska, after the war ended,^[3] and was a building contractor with his father and lobbied for car dealers, serving as the director of the Nebraska New Car Dealers Association.^[2][1] He served on the state Highway Safety Committee from 1955 to 1959.^[3]

Nebraska Legislature

In 1962, State Senator Edwin McHugh, who represented the Sarpy County-based 3rd district, declined to seek re-election, and Payne ran to succeed him.^[4][3] In the nonpartisan primary, he faced Plattsmouth Mayor Grant Roberts, postman Blase Cupich, businessman Byron Brown, and Plattsmouth School Board member Chester Sporer.^[5] Roberts placed first in the primary, winning 37 percent of the vote, and Payne narrowly placed second, receiving 22 percent of the vote to Cupich's 20 percent.^[6] Payne and Roberts advanced to the general election,^[7] which Payne narrowly won, defeating Roberts, 51–49 percent.^[6][8]

Payne ran for re-election to a four-year term in 1964,^[9] and was challenged by Bellevue City Councilman Waldo Shallcross.^[10] Payne placed first in the primary election by a wide margin, winning 77 percent of the vote.^[11] He won re-election in the general election by an identical margin, defeating Shallcross, 77–23 percent.^[11]

In 1968, Payne sought re-election to a third term, and was challenged by attorney Charles Reed and farmer Orval Keyes.^[12] In the primary election, Payne placed second, receiving 34 percent of the vote to Reed's 41 percent and Keyes's 25 percent.^[13][14] Reed and Payne advanced to the general election, but on July 24, 1968, Payne ended his campaign, citing his need to attend to his business interests.^[15]

Post-legislative career

After leaving the legislature, Payne was a lobbyist for the Sarpy County Board of Supervisors, and was appointed the county's civil defense director.^[16] Payne ran for the Nebraska Railway Commission from the 1st district in 1970.^[16] In the Republican primary, he faced attorney John Finnegan, the chief counsel to the commission; businessman Walter Haase, the former secretary to the state Liquor Commission; and former Railway Commissioner Robert Marland.^[17] Payne came third in the primary, receiving 25 percent of the vote to Marland's 30 percent and Finnigan's 28 percent.^[18] He retired as the Sarpy County civil defense director in 1982.^[19]

Death

Payne died on June 1, 2008.^[2]

References