Mertz, Dolores (1928-)
Dates
- Existence: 1928-
Biography
Dolores Mertz was born in 1928 in Bancroft, Iowa. She earned an associate’s degree from Briar Cliff College (now University) and became a farmer alongside her husband H.P. “Pete” Mertz. After Pete’s death in 1983, Mertz was appointed to the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors, where she served for five years. In 1988, she ran for the Iowa House as a Democrat and won, representing District 15 (Humboldt and parts of Pocahantas, Palo Alto, and Kossuth counties) from 1989-2003 and District 8 (Humboldt, Pocahantas, and parts of Webster and Kossuth counties) from 2003-2011. In 2007, Mertz became the first woman to chair the agriculture committee in the Iowa House, where her leadership on agriculture issues earned her the nickname “the Queen of Drainage”. She was a longtime member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), chairing their task force on health and human services for 8 years and serving as the organization’s national chair in 2007.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Audio recording, December 14, 2019
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Dolores Mertz about her legislative service, including her role in arranging revenue sharing of gambling proceeds across Iowa counties, and the role of gender in politics.
Transcript, December 14, 2019
Transcript of an interview with Iowa state legislator Dolores Mertz about her legislative service, including her role in arranging revenue sharing of gambling proceeds across Iowa counties, and the role of gender in politics.
Additional filters:
- Subject
- Democratic Party (Iowa) 2
- Drainage 2
- Emmetsburg (Iowa) 2
- Gambling 2
- Humboldt County (Iowa) 2