Charles Grassley
UNI 150: People you should know
Decades of dedication, from Iowa fields to the U.S Senate
Hailing from a small town Iowa farm and a graduate of the Iowa State Teachers College, Senator Charles Grassley is the most senior member of the United States Senate, the sixth-longest serving senator in U.S. history, and the longest serving Republican in congressional history. Now in his eighth term, Senator Grassley currently serves as President Pro Tempore, which places him third in line of succession for the President of the United States.
Grassley was the first of five children to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1955 and a master’s degree in 1956, both from Iowa State Teachers College.
“I think if I’d gone somewhere else to college I would not have felt a close association to work. ISTC helped me more because it is a grass roots, a workers’ university where students are common Iowans from middle income to lower middle income families as opposed to other institutions where the students are from upper income families,” he said in a 1979 issue of “The Alumnus.”
Voters elected Grassley to the Iowa state legislature in 1958, and later to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974. In 1980, he was elected to the U.S. Senate and is still serving today – accumulating more than 50 years of working for Iowans in Washington D.C.
With decades of service comes a longstanding tradition. One example is the senator’s dedication to meeting with Iowans in all 99 counties each year, a practice that has become known as “the full Grassley.”
Standing alongside his countless contributions to the political sphere, Grassley has maintained a strong commitment to UNI. In addition to donating his political papers from his years in the U.S. Senate, Grassley’s papers from his time in the Iowa House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives are also housed at UNI. Plans are underway to name a new campus center in his honor.
Senator Grassley often returns to the UNI campus, speaking to political science students and rooting on the Panthers at athletic events with his wife, Barbara. He was one of the first lawmakers to embrace the use of social media to keep constituents informed, where he also documents his trips to Cedar Falls.
Grassley and his wife regularly attend UNI sporting events, often documenting them on his X account.
Grassley is one of only two active farmers currently serving in the Senate. He began growing corn and soybeans at an early age.
Grassley proudly shared on Facebook that he and his wife attended their granddaughter's graduation ceremony at UNI.
Celebrate 150 years of the University of Northern Iowa by nominating individuals who have made a significant impact on our campus, community and beyond.
