Bernhard Martin Jacobsen (March 26, 1862 – June 30, 1936) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

who served nearly three full terms during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. He was the father of

William S. Jacobsen William Sebastian Jacobsen (January 15, 1887 – April 10, 1955) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 2nd congressional district who served three terms from 1937 to 1943. He was the son of his predecessor, Bernhard M. Jacobsen who h ...

, who succeeded him in Congress following his death. Born in

Tønder Tønder (; german: Tondern ) is a town in the Region of Southern Denmark. With a population of 7,505 (as of 1 January 2022), it is the main town and the administrative seat of the Tønder Municipality. History The first mention of Tønder might ...

, (which was then a part of the Danish fief Schleswig, but is now in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

proper), Jacobsen attended the public schools. He immigrated in 1876 to the United States with his parents, who settled in Clinton, Iowa. He learned to speak English while serving as a helper in a Clinton

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. He was employed as a clerk in a dry goods store until 1886, when he engaged in the mercantile business. He served as

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Clinton 1914–1923. He retired from the mercantile business in 1927 and engaged in the industrial finance business. In 1930, Jacobsen was elected as a Democrat to represent

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its southeastern part. It includes Davenport, Iowa City, Muscatine, Clinton, Burlington, Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Oskaloosa, Bettend ...

, unseating incumbent Republican Congressman

F. Dickinson Letts Fred Dickinson Letts (April 26, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a United States representative from Iowa, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Education and career Born on April 26, ...

. He was the first Democrat elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa since 1916. Jacobsen's defeat of Letts was particularly embarrassing for President Hoover, as the district included the President's home in West Branch, Cedar County. In the next two elections (in which Iowa Democrats established, then retained, a clear majority of U.S. House seats), Jacobsen won by large margins. On June 1, 1936, Jacobsen won the Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

for a fourth term, this time to the Seventy-fifth Congress. However, he died on June 30, 1936 in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Ac ...

, after ten days of hospitalization."Congressman Jacobsen Dies," Mason City Globe-Gazette, 1936-06-30, at 1. A special nominating convention selected his son,

, to fill his place on the ballot. His son then held the seat in the general election, defeating Charles Penningroth of

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. I ...

. He was interred in Springdale Cemetery, Clinton, Iowa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobsen, Bernhard Martin American Lutherans German emigrants to the United States Iowa postmasters American people of Danish descent Politicians from Clinton, Iowa 1862 births 1936 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa People from Tønder Municipality Burials in Iowa

See also

References