Nathan Mack was born to a Jewish family[1] on January 27, 1891, in Mielec, Poland.[2][3] He had two brothers, Harry and Louis.[3] Mack was the first member of his family to emigrate to the United States, and he was subsequently reunited with his brothers, who invested in real estate.[3]
Mack was the owner of a supermarket in Los Angeles, California in the 1920s.[2][3] By 1929, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he opened a haberdashery.[2][3] He moved to Reno in 1936, followed by Boulder City, only to return to Las Vegas.[3] Over the years, he "sold tires and batteries, ran a towing service and wrecking yard, sold produce, and owned a clothing store, a liquor store, and a Fremont Street bar."[2]
Mack was responsible for the establishment of the Las Vegas Sun, the main newspaper in Las Vegas, when he loaned US$1,000 to its founder Hank Greenspun in 1950.[2][5]
Mack co-founded the Bank of Las Vegas with his son and other investors in 1954.[2][4][6] Mack served as its chairman while Walter E. Cosgriff was its president until he was succeeded by E. Parry Thomas in 1961.[6] The bank focused on loaning money to casinos in Las Vegas.[2]
Mack became "one of the most influential citizens of Las Vegas".[3]
With his wife, Mack co-founded "Sons and Daughters of Israel" in Las Vegas, which is the oldest Jewish congregation in Nevada.[2] He served as its second president from 1945 to 1949.[2] The congregation later became known as Temple Beth Sholom.[2][7]
Mack served as the president of the Jewish Community Center of Las Vegas.[4] He was also the Nevada chairman of the United Jewish Appeal.[2]
