Robert Knowlton Beck (July 17, 1915 – January 13, 2004) was an American politician and newspaper publisher from the state of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Beck was born in Centerville,

Appanoose County, Iowa Appanoose County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,317. Its county seat is Centerville. History Appanoose County was formed on February 17, 1843, from open territory. It was named for the ...

, in 1915. He graduated from Centerville High School in 1933 and 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 ...

, as it was then known, in 1937. Beck was a veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and served with the United States Navy on the USS ''South Dakota'' for 27 months. His ship saw heavy action, including being buzzed by ''kamikaze'' pilots during the Philippine invasion and being struck by a bomb during one battle. He mustered out of the Navy in 1945 as a lieutenant. Following the war, Beck sat for one term as a Republican in the Iowa House of Representatives from January 12, 1953, to January 9, 1955. Her was the publisher of the Centerville ''

Daily Iowegian The ''Daily Iowegian'' was a two-day (Tuesday and Friday) newspaper published in Centerville, Iowa and covering Appanoose and Wayne counties in Iowa and Putnam county in Missouri. It was owned by CNHI, LLC The newspaper also published a Wednes ...

'' newspaper. He acquired a majority interest in the newspaper in 1950 and turned it into a state and national award winner. Under his guidance, the ''Iowegian'' earned three Iowa General Excellence Awards, the Iowa Community Service Award in 1963 and 1983, as well as numerous statewide awards for news, advertising, editorial excellence and industrial support. Beck was named an Iowa master editor-publisher in 1963, was president of the Iowa Newspaper Association in 1969-70 and earned the Bent Cane Award from the Des Moines Press Club in 1959. Beck died in

Chariton, Iowa Chariton ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Lucas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,193 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. Chariton is the primary distribution center for and the former corporate headquarters ...

, on January 13, 2004.

References

1915 births 2004 deaths People from Centerville, Iowa Military personnel from Iowa Iowa Wesleyan University alumni Editors of Iowa newspapers Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly {{Iowa-politician-stub