1940: Iowa

Area and Population.

The area of the 'Hawkeye State,' 56,147 sq. mi., gives it 24th place for size in the Union. Almost nine-tenths of its land is cultivated — the largest proportion in the forty-eight states — and farm land is thrice the national average. Two-thirds of this is crop land.

The 1940 census gives Iowa 2,538,268 — an increase of 67,329 over 1930 and ranking it 20th in population among the states. One-fourth are of foreign or mixed parentage; nine per cent are foreign-born, chiefly Germans, Canadians, Italians, Mexicans. Less than one per cent are Negroes. Non-English-speaking persons are 43 per 1,000 — less than half the national average of 110 per 1,000. The largest cities are Des Moines, the capital, 159,819; Sioux City, 82,364; Davenport, 66,039; Cedar Rapids, 62,120; Council Bluffs, 41,439; and Dubuque, 43,892.

Agriculture.

Iowa is one of the richest agricultural states of the Midwest block, pre-eminently the corn state. Half its farm area is planted in Indian corn, a crop worth almost three times all other crops combined. Oats rank second, occupying about a quarter of the farm land. Hay is third. All other crops trail far behind these three.

Livestock production is important, and pasture land occupies nearly a quarter of the state area. Pure-bred horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs are produced in large quantity; Iowa is a leader in the breeding of high-grade horses and hogs.

Industry.

Thirteen railway lines are in themselves an important industry; their 9,217 miles within the state rank Iowa next to Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania in that regard. The annual revenue reaches nearly $100,000,000; annual freight tonnage nearly $60,000,000. By far the leading industry of the state, however, is the processing of meat and poultry products; other leaders are the manufacture of foodstuffs, machinery, tools, lumber and wood products; and printing and publishing.

Mineral Products.

Three minerals are important in Iowa: coal, cement, and gypsum. The coal production averages nearly 4,000,000 tons, with a value of some $10,000,000. The manufacture of cement averages 4,750,000 bbl., valued above $7,000,000. Gypsum is produced to the extent of close to half a million tons — exceeded only by New York and Michigan. The total yearly mineral production of the state is valued at about $25,000,000.

Education.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction reported 681,297 persons of school age (5 to 21) in the school year 1939-40; 369,304 in 10,154 elementary schools; 138,041 in 517 high schools. The average teaching salary is $834. The total state expenditure for the public schools in 1930 was $4,500,000; the current operating cost of the public schools (including the disbursements of school districts) is listed as $42,709,661.

Banking.

The 1,076 banks and trust companies were reported by the State Superintendent of Banking, for the quarter ending June 30, 1939, as having loans and discounts of $271,518,596 (a decrease from the previous quarter); credits subject to sight draft, $88,134,783 (a decrease); capital stocks, $23,556,500 (an increase); surplus fund, $11,263,276 (an increase); undivided profits, $10,292,068 (an increase); deposits, $401,323,567 (a decrease).

Political and Other Events.

On Nov. 5, 1940, a native son of Iowa, Henry A. Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture for two terms in President Roosevelt's Cabinet, was elected Vice-President of the United States.

In that election Iowa was one of the 10 states (8 of them in the Middle West) to return majorities for Wendell Willkie. He received 51 per cent of the total state vote of 1,205,569. Iowa's plurality for him over President Roosevelt was 43,570.

The 17th national cornhusking championship was won at Davenport, Oct. 30, by Irving Bauman of Illinois, winner in 1935 and 1938; his score was 46 3/4 bu. in 80 min. Marion Link of Iowa was a close second, with 1/3 of a bushel less.

An interesting event of March 1939, was the return, by the State Government of Iowa to that of Alabama, of the Civil War flag of the 'Republic of Alabama' — as that state had declared itself on Jan. 11, 1861, before it joined the Confederacy. The flag had found its way to the Iowa State Historical Department; and by legislative action a special committee of veterans and legislators was appointed to return the historic emblem to its home in Montgomery.

State Officers.

Governor, George A. Wilson; Lieutenant Governor, B. B. Hickenlooper; Secretary of State, Earl G. Miller; Auditor, C. B. Akers; Treasurer, W. G. C. Bagley; Attorney General, John M. Rankin; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jessie M. Parker.

United States Senators:

Guy M. Gillette, Clyde L. Herring.