Dates

• Existence: 1919-2000

Biography

Norman Arthur Erbe was born in Boone, Iowa, on October 25, 1919. He served with the US Army as an infantry company commander from 1941 -- 1942. From 1943 until 1945, he was a pilot in the US Air Force. Erbe graduated from the University of Iowa in 1946 and earned his law degree the following year. Returning to his hometown, he became a partner in the law firm of Doran & Erbe. He was Iowa's Attorney General from 1956 until he was elected Governor in 1960. During his term, appropriations for education were increased, legislative districts were reapportioned, and certain prison reform measures were enacted. He lost his reelection bid to Harold Hughes. Erbe's indecisiveness on the liquor-by-the-drink issue probably cost him the election. Following his term as governor, Erbe held a number of positions including one as the regional representative of the Secretary of the US Department of Transportation. Norman Erbe died on June 8, 2000, at the age of 80.

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