David Edward Heaton (February 2, 1941 – February 13, 2025) was an American politician who served as the Iowa State Representative from the 91st District, representing all of
Henry County and the northern portion of
Lee County. He sat in the
Iowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...
from January 1995.
Life and career
Born and raised in Sigourney, Iowa, he received his B.A. in history in 1964 from
Iowa Wesleyan College
Iowa Wesleyan University was a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It was Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The institution was affiliated ...
in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where he resided. For 40 years, he and his family owned and operated a popular restaurant operation, The Iris, located in Mount Pleasant. He and his wife, Carmen, are the parents of two grown children and have two grandchildren.
Heaton served on several committees in the Iowa House – the Appropriations committee; the Human Resources committee; and the Judiciary committee. He also served as the
ranking member
In United States politics, a ranking member is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the Chair, serve as ''ex officio'' members ...
on the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.
Heaton was re-elected in 2006 with 6,726 votes, running unopposed. He has faced some opposition since his first election in 1994, where he carried the district with nearly 70% of the popular vote. Heaton faced Ron Fedler, former small-town mayor and small business owner in 2008.
Heaton died in
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 9,274 in the 2020 census, an increase from 8,668 in the 2010 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.
History
...
on February 13, 2025, at the age of 84.
References
External links
Representative Dave Heaton''official Iowa General Assembly site''
*
Profileat ''Iowa House Republicans''
, -
, -
1941 births
2025 deaths
Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives
People from Sigourney, Iowa
People from Mount Pleasant, Iowa
American restaurateurs
21st-century members of the Iowa General Assembly
{{Iowa-politician-stub