Joy Corning (September 7, 1932 – May 20, 2017) was an American politician who served as

Lieutenant Governor of Iowa This is a list of lieutenant governors of the U.S. state of Iowa. History Prior to 1990, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected in separate elections; since then they have run together on the same ticket. List See also * List of g ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, she was a native of

Cedar Falls, Iowa Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,713. It is home to the University of Northern Iowa, a public university. History Cedar Falls was first settled in March 1845 by ...

. She graduated from the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and grad ...

in Cedar Falls.

Early political career

Prior to being elected lieutenant governor in 1990, Corning served as a state senator representing what was then Senate District 12 in Black Hawk County. She also served as the president of the Cedar Falls School Board, and worked as the director of the Iowa Housing Finance Authority from 1981 to 1984.

Female firsts

Corning entered the 1998

gubernatorial primary, making history as the first woman to run for the Republican nomination to the office of governor in the state’s history. After an abbreviated gubernatorial campaign, she was forced to drop out due in large part to a lack of financial support.

Political positions

Corning has long been recognized as a leader among moderates and social liberals within the Republican Party. Corning was state Captain of the

Republican Leadership Council The Republican Leadership Council (RLC or RLC-PAC) was founded in 1993 as the Committee for Responsible Government. It was a United States political advocacy group and political action committee that promoted Republican candidates who choose a pla ...

. A vocal proponent of abortion rights, Corning served on the Board of Directors for Iowa’s chapter of

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

and even led that organization’s fundraising drive in 2002. A proponent of gay rights, on May 12, 2009, Corning received the "Interfaith Award" along with the woman who followed her as Lt. Governor,

Sally Pederson Sally Pederson (born January 13, 1951) is an American politician and editor who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007. A Democrat, she is a native of Vinton, Iowa. She graduated in 1973 from Iowa State University in Ames, ...

. The award was presented by the

Interfaith Alliance Interfaith Alliance is a national interfaith organization in the United States founded in 1994 to counteract the religious right. Its stated goal is to protect faith and freedom by respecting individual rights, preserving the boundaries between re ...

of Iowa, and came after a joint letter to the editor of the

Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junction ...

penned by the pair of former Lieutenant Governors promoting gay marriage.

Death

Corning died May 20, 2017, from a liver condition. She was awarded the 2017 Edward S. Allen Award by the ACLU of Iowa in August 2017.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Corning, Joy 1932 births 2017 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Iowa Politicians from Des Moines, Iowa University of Northern Iowa alumni Republican Party Iowa state senators Women state legislators in Iowa People from Adair County, Iowa People from Cedar Falls, Iowa School board members in Iowa 21st-century American women