Iowa History Daily: On September 4, 1971, Iowa’s 29th Governor Bourke Blakemore “Hick” Hickenlooper died. A native of Taylor County’s Blockton, “Hick” also served as lieutenant governor, and as a longtime United States Senator.
Born in the extreme southern Iowa town of Blockton during July of 1896, and went on to attend Iowa State. Uncle Sam came calling early in Hickenlooper’s college career, and he enlisted in the officer’s training program at Fort Snelling during 1917. Serving with the 339th Field Artillery in France until his discharge in 1919, Hickenlooper finished his education in Ames upon his arrival back stateside.
Heading to the University of Iowa School of Law, Hickenlooper completed his JD in 1922 before opening a law practice in Cedar Rapids. After a successful early career in eastern Iowa, Hickenlooper first held political office while serving in the Iowa State House of Representatives from 1933-1937. Moving on to serve as Lieutenant Governor from 1939-1942, “Hick” successfully made a run at Iowa’s highest office in 1942.
Defeating Democratic Governor Nelson G. Kraschel, Hickenlooper’s time as Iowa Governor only lasted for two years before he narrowly won election to the United States Senate in 1944. Reelected in 1950, 1966, and 1962, Hickenlooper’s legacy stands as a tenacious anti-Communist crusader characteristic of the early Cold War. #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryCalendar
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