1938: Iowa

Area and Population. The 'Hawkeye' state, Iowa, was admitted to statehood Dec. 28, 1846. It ranks 24th in size among the states, with an area of 56,147 sq. mi. In railway mileage Iowa is exceeded only by Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. In population, Iowa ranks 19th, numbering 2,470,939 according to the Census of 1930; 2,552,000 on July 1, 1937, according to the latest Federal estimate. The largest cities are Des Moines, the capital 142,559 (1930 census); Sioux City, 79,183; Davenport, 60,751; Cedar Rapids, 56,097; Council Bluffs, 42,048; Dubuque, 41,679. Of the 2,543,000 people in the state, about 1,500,000 are native whites; 630,000 are of foreign or mixed parentage; 230,000 are foreign-born, Germans predominating, and Canadians, Italians, and Mexicans following in that order. There are 19,000 Negroes. The proportion of non-English-speaking persons is 43 per 1,000 — the national average is 110 per 1,000. The urban population is 39.6 per cent of the whole. Agriculture. The state has the largest proportion of cultivated land in the Union — from 85 to 90 per cent; its farm land is three times the national average proportion, and is two-thirds crop land. Half the farm area is devoted to Indian corn; more than a quarter is planted in oats; and Iowa is a leading state in the production of tame hay. Almost a quarter of the area of Iowa is pasture land; hence the raising of livestock is a major activity. Horses, cattle, sheep, and swine of high quality are bred in large quantities, the state being a national leader in horses and swine. Meat-packing is the first industry in the state, with dairy products and food preparations almost equally important. Mineral Products. The largest items among Iowa's mineral products for 1937 were as usual coal and cement. Production of the former totaled 3,690,000 tons; shipments of the latter amounted to 4,598,453 bbl., valued at $7,046,021, a slight increase over 1936. The production of gypsum, in which Iowa ranks third among the states, totaled 387,255 tons as against 344,221 in 1936. Education. The state has 681,169 inhabitants of school age (5 to 21). Enrollment is as follows: in the 10,776 elementary public schools there are 347,267 pupils; in the 1,119 secondary schools, 171,883. There are 38,637 pupils in private and parochial elementary schools, and 9,482 in secondary schools of those types. In vocational courses there are 26,166 pupils. Iowa spent in 1938 on her public schools $41,296,626. Ten superintendents and one high school principal receive over $5,000; one rural-school teacher, under $400. The chief educational development of the year was the marked increase throughout the state of the public forum movement — influenced by the fact that while the proportion of illiterates in the nation is 60 per 1,000, in Iowa the proportion is but 11 per 1,000. Events of the Year. Conditions throughout the state generally improved in 1938 over 1937, in banking and finance, in agriculture, and in manufacturing. Relief and unemployment remained about the same. The political event of the year was the return of the Republican party to power. Previously, all state executive officers but one were Democrats; now all are Republicans. Both United States Senators, however, are still Democratic, and the two Democratic United States Congressmen were reelected. Banking. The state Banking Department reported as of September 28, 1938, the number of incorporated banks at 543; savings banks, 299; state banks, 241; trust companies, 3. Capital stock amounted to $23,498,500, loans and discounts to $239,423,198 and deposits to $378,189,516. State Officers. As the result of the 1938 election, the chief officers are as follows: Governor, Geo. A. Wilson; Lieutenant Governor, B. B. Hickenlooper; Secretary of State, Earl G. Miller; Auditor, C. B. Akers; Treasurer, W. G. C. Bagley; Attorney General, Fred Everett; Secretary of Public Instruction, Jessie M. Parker. The Executive Council consists of the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor and Treasurer. Judiciary. The State Supreme Court consists of Chief Justice W. H. Hamilton, and Associate Justices Richard F. Mitchell, John W. Anderson, John W. Kintzinger, Carl B. Stiger, Maurice F. Donegan, James M. Parsons, and Edward A. Sager. United States Senators. Guy M. Gillette, Clyde L. Herring.