Robert Donald Blue | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 30th Governor of Iowa | |
| In office January 11, 1945 – January 13, 1949 | |
| Lieutenant | Kenneth A. Evans |
| Preceded by | Bourke B. Hickenlooper |
| Succeeded by | William S. Beardsley |
| 30thLieutenant Governor of Iowa | |
| In office January 14, 1943 – January 11, 1945 | |
| Governor | Bourke Hickenlooper |
| Preceded by | Bourke Hickenlooper |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Evans |
| 47th Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives | |
| In office 1939–1943 | |
| Preceded by | John R. Irwin |
| Succeeded by | Henry W. Burma |
| Member of theIowa House of Representatives from the 75th district | |
| In office January 14, 1935 – January 10, 1943 | |
| Preceded by | R.E. Lee Aldrich |
| Succeeded by | William Tyrrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 24, 1898 |
| Died | December 14, 1989(1989-12-14) (aged 91) Fort Dodge, Iowa, US |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University Drake University |
| Profession | Attorney |
Robert Donald Blue (September 24, 1898 – December 14, 1989) was an American politician, the30th Governor ofIowa from 1945 to 1949.[1][2][3][4]
Blue was born inEagle Grove, Iowa in 1898, to Donald Blue, railroad engineer, and Myrtle E. (née Newell), a schoolteacher.[1][2][3][4]
Blue attended Capital City Commercial College andIowa State University.[1][2][3][4]
He served in theUnited States Army duringWorld War I, being honorably discharged in 1919.[1][2][3][4]
After the war, he earned a law degree fromDrake University Law School in 1922.[1][2][3][4] He practiced law in Eagle Grove.[1][2][3][4]
He married Cathlene Beale on October 17, 1926 inClarion and had a daughter, Barbara, and a son, Donald.[2][3][4] Donald died in a gas explosion in 1973.[5] He was a member of theUnited Methodist Church,[2][3] and was inducted into the Methodist Hall of Fame because of his philanthropic efforts.[2]
He was theWright County Attorney from 1924 to 1931 and the Eagle Grove City Attorney from 1932 to 1934.[1][2][3][4]
In 1934, Blue was elected to theIowa House of Representatives.[1][2][3][4] He was reelected in 1936, 1938, 1940, and 1942, and wasSpeaker of the Iowa House from 1939 to 1943.[1][2][3][4]
He was elected theLieutenant Governor of Iowa in 1942 and then Governor in 1944, winning reelection in 1946.[1][2][3][4]
Blue's policies were unpopular among labor groups (opposed to his bill outlawing theclosed shop), farmers (opposed to his tax policies), and teachers (opposed to his cuts in education funding). He suggested making a state employee retirement plan.[1] He was a champion of issues relating to the elderly.[4]
One of his principal opponents in the legislature,William S. Beardsley, took advantage of Blue's unpopularity and successfully challenged him in the Republican primary in 1948.[1][2][3][4]
On September 24, 1988, celebrating Governor Blue's 90th birthday, the middle school inEagle Grove changed its name to Robert Blue Middle School (RBMS) with Governor Blue was in attendance at the ceremony.[2][4]
Governor Blue created the Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation in 1949 by commemorating the 100th anniversary of Iowa's joining the Union in 1849. The scholarship fund was established "to encourage the youth of the state to attend Iowa's fine institutions of higher learning."[4][6][7] The foundation renamed the scholarship to theRobert D. Blue Scholarship in 1990.[6]
Blue left public life and returned to his hometown of Eagle Grove.[4] He died of astroke at Trinity Regional Hospital inFort Dodge, Iowa on December 14, 1989.[1][2][3][4] He was buried at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Eagle Grove.[4] Cathlene died in 1990, aged 89, and was buried next to her husband.[8]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nomineeGovernor of Iowa 1944,1946 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Iowa 1943–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Bourke Hickenlooper | Governor of Iowa 1945–1949 | Succeeded by |
| Iowa House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by John R. Irwin | 47thSpeaker 1941–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by R.E. Lee Aldrich | 75th District 1945–1949 | Succeeded by William Tyrrell |
| Territorial(1838–1846) | ||
|---|---|---|
| State(since 1846) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
