Dates

• Existence: 1932-

Biography

James Sherman Flansburg was born in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, on January 21, 1932, but grew up in Tiffin, the son of A.C. and Esther Flansburg. After two years at the University of Iowa, he joined the U.S. Army, and served in Korea. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University in 1957. While a student, he was City Editor of The Daily Iowan and in 1956 he married Carol Ann McCauley and they had four children.

After graduation, he went to work as a reporter for The Des Moines Tribune, an afternoon newspaper, where he worked until 1965. In 1965, Flansburg became a reporter for The Des Moines Register and in 1966 wrote a famous series of articles on Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa. Then, in 1971, he moved into the position of Chief political writer and columnist for the Register. As a political reporter for Iowa's largest newspaper, Flansburg gained prominence during the Iowa caucuses held in presidential election years. This was particularly true in 1976. From 1983 to 1989 he was editor of the editorial pages. In this position, he sought out new talent to write for the opinion page, including Robert Waller. In 1989, Flansburg returned to writing his Old Reporter column which he continued until he retired on January 21, 1997.

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