Herschel C. Loveless
Herschel Loveless | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| 34th Governor of Iowa | |
| In office January 17, 1957 – January 12, 1961 | |
| Lieutenant | William H. Nicholas Edward J. McManus |
| Preceded by | Leo Hoegh |
| Succeeded by | Norman A. Erbe |
| Mayor of Ottumwa | |
| In office 1949–1953 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Herschel Cellel Loveless May 5, 1911 Hedrick, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | May 4, 1989 (aged 77) Winchester, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Ottumwa Cemetery Ottumwa, Iowa |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Amelia R. Howard (m. 1933) |
| Children | 2 |
Herschel Cellel Loveless (May 5, 1911 – May 4, 1989) was an American politician who served as the 34th Governor of Iowa, from 1957 to 1961.[1][2]
Early Life
[edit]Loveless was born in Hedrick, Iowa.[1] Loveless graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1927.[1][2] He then joined Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and later joined John Morrell Company as a turbine operator.[1][2] For two years, from 1947 to 1949, he was Ottumwa's Superintendent of Street.[1]
On October 1, 1933, he married Amelia Howard and had two children.[3]
Political Career
[edit]City Politics
[edit]He was elected Mayor of Ottumwa in 1949 until 1953.[1][2] During his tenure, he helped created sewer and river wall with the Des Moines River. He established a youth center and modernized Ottumwa's municipal codes.[2]
Unsuccessful Campaigns
[edit]He won the 1952 Democratic Primary for Governor, against Otha Wearin, winning by 14,024 votes.[4] He lost in the general election, against William S. Beardsley, losing by 50,717 votes.[2][5]
He then ran, unsuccessfully, for US House in 1954, losing to Karl M. LeCompte in the Iowa's 4th.
His finally race was for the US Senate seat held by Thomas E. Martin, who was a retiring Republican. He lost in the general, against State Senator Jack Miller, losing by 47,524 votes.[2][6][7]
Governorship
[edit]He won the 1956 Democratic Primary for Governor, against Lawrence E. Palmer, winning by 44,103 votes.[8] He went on to win the General, against Governor Leo Hoegh, winning by 29,469 votes.[2]
When elected, he became only the fourth Democrat to be Iowa's governor since the Civil War.
His ties to Iowa's growing labor movement and the state's urbanization helped to secure his victories in 1956 and 1958.[9] In 1958, he won re-election by 70,953 votes, and carried 66 out of 99 counties.[2]
During Loveless two terms as governor, he oversaw the redistricting of public schools into districts, and the establishment of the mental health fund, he also worked to raise workmen’s compensation and unemployment compensation benefits, and the institution of a teacher’s minimum monthly pension, as well as the authorization of the state treasurer to collect interest on inactive state funds, while in office Loveless vetoed an extension of the two and half percent sales tax.[2] He was considered less militant than his opponents. During his years as governor, Loveless focused on issues such as flood control, mental health, and social services.[2] He also promoted reapportionment to help redress the imbalance in rural-versus-urban representation in the state legislature.[2] Loveless helped to align Iowa's Democratic Party more closely with its national counterpart.
He also secured federal funds from the Eisenhower Administration to dam Lake Red Rock and Saylorville Lake.[2] He urged the Iowa General Assembly to approve flood control measures on the Des Moines River.[2] In 1961, at the end of his tenure, the state treasury had a surplus of $50 million.[2]
Post Governorship
[edit]In 1961 Loveless was appointed to by President John F. Kennedy to the Federal Renegotiation Board and he stayed on the board until 1969.[1][2] In 1969, he became a vice president for government affairs for the Chromalloy Corporation, an Iowa soft drink manufacturer.[1] He left this position in 1978 and move to the outskirts of Washington D.C.[2]
Later Life
[edit]He died of lung cancer on May 4, 1989, one day before his 78th birthday, in Winchester, Virginia.[1][2] He was buried in Ottumwa Cemetery, in Iowa.[1][2] His wife, Amelia, died in 2007, aged 93.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Governor Herschel C. Loveless". National Governors Association. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "THE BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IOWA University of Iowa Press Digital Editions Loveless, Herschel Cellel". University of Iowa. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ a b "Amelia Loveless". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ "Summary of Official Canvass of Votes Cast in Iowa Primary Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of Iowa. 1952. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Summary of Official Canvass of Votes Cast in Iowa General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of Iowa. 1952. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1960". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1961). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1960" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
- ^ "Summary of Official Canvass of Votes Cast in Iowa Primary Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of Iowa. 1956. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "Summary of Official Canvass of Votes Cast in Iowa General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of Iowa. 1958. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
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