Dates

• Existence: 1898-1989

Biography

Robert D. Blue was born in Eagle Grove, Iowa, on September 24, 1898. He attended Capital City Commercial College and Iowa State College. After serving in the Army during WWI, he returned to Iowa and received a law degree from Drake University in 1922. Blue married Cathleen Beale in 1926 and they had two children, Barbara and Donald.

Elected to the Iowa House of Representatives, Blue served from 1934 to 1943. He was Speaker of the House from 1937 to 1941. In 1943, he was elected Lieutenant Governor and the following year he defeated R.F. Mitchell to become Governor. He served two terms, during which he supported the standardization of property tax, improved the highways, extended the state hospital program, and encouraged the creation of a retirement program for public employees. Robert D. Blue died in 1989.

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