Leo Hoegh

Leo Arthur Hoegh (born March 30, 1908 in Audubon , Audubon County , Iowa , † July 15, 2000 in Colorado Springs , Colorado ) was an American politician and from 1955 to 1957 the 33rd  governor of the state of Iowa.

Early years and political advancement

Leo Hoegh studied at the University of Iowa , where he took his law exam in 1932. He was a member of the Republican Party and was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1937 . There he soon rose to the position of leader of the Republican faction. He was also chairman of the judiciary committee. In 1941, Hoegh became an attorney for the City of Charton . During the Second World War he rose in the US Army to lieutenant colonel . He was used on the European theater of war. He received several awards for his bravery.

Governor of Iowa

After the war, Hoegh initially worked as a lawyer in Charton. In 1948, he applied unsuccessfully for a seat in the US House of Representatives . Between 1953 and 1955 he was Minister of Justice (Attorney General) of Iowa. Hoegh supported the 1952 presidential election campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower , whom he had already met personally during the Second World War. In 1954 he was elected the new governor of his state. Leo Hoegh took up his new office on January 13, 1955. During his two-year term in office, the expansion of the motorway was pushed ahead and the education budget increased. The state school system was improved and brought up to date. Agriculture and healthcare were also promoted. However, all of these improvements were funded by tax increases, which made the governor unpopular and ultimately cost him re-election in 1956.

Another résumé

After the end of his governorship, Hoegh was appointed to the civil defense council by President Eisenhower. There he was between 1957 and 1958. Between 1958 and 1961 he worked in the civil and defense mobilization administration . With the accession of the Democratic President John F. Kennedy in January 1961 Hoegh lost this office again. Then Hoegh worked as a lawyer. Since 1964, he had moved his practice to Chipita Park , Colorado. He worked there until 1985 before he retired. Leo Hoegh died in July 2000. He had two children with his wife, Mary Louise Foster.

Web links

• Leo Hoegh in the National Governors Association (English)
• Leo Hoegh in the database of Find a Grave (English)