Roger William Jepsen (December 23, 1928 – November 13, 2020) was an American politician from the state of Iowa. A Republican, he served in the United States Senate and 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 ...

Early life

Jepsen was born on December 23, 1928 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the son of Emil and Esther (Sorensen) Jepsen. His grandparents were all Danish immigrants. Jepsen attended public schools.

Education

Jepsen attended University of Northern Iowa. Jepsen graduated from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

in Tempe, Arizona in 1950 with a bachelor's degree and in 1953 with a master's degree. At ASU, Jepsen was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Career

Jepsen became a paratrooper in the United States Army 1946–1947 and served in the United States Army Reserve 1948–1960, where he achieved the rank of captain. He was active in farming, insurance and

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

businesses. Jepsen served as a

county supervisor A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalen ...

of Scott County from 1962 to 1965 and was a

state Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

from 1966 to 1968. He was the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 1969 to 1973, having been elected with Governor

Robert D. Ray Robert Dolph Ray (September 26, 1928 – July 8, 2018) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served as the 38th governor of Iowa from January 16, 1969 to January 14, 1983. During his tenure as governor, Ray served as chair of t ...

in 1968. In

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

, he was elected to the United States Senate, narrowly defeating incumbent Dick Clark in a major surprise, receiving strong support from National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC). During the campaign, Jepsen taunted Senator Clark as "the Senator from Africa" because of Clark's work on behalf of South African people against their apartheid government. He served a single term from January 3, 1979 to January 3, 1985. He served as co-chairman of the

Joint Economic Committee The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) is one of four standing joint committees of the U.S. Congress. The committee was established as a part of the Employment Act of 1946, which deemed the committee responsible for reporting the current economic co ...

in the 98th Congress. Fellow Republican colleagues praised Jepsen for persuading then U.S. President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

to lift the agricultural ban against the Soviet Union. Jepsen was defeated by Democratic Congressman Tom Harkin in the 1984 Senate election. Jepsen later served as chairman of the National Credit Union Administration. During part of his tenure in the Senate, Jepsen sat at the Candy Desk.

Death

Jepsen died on November 13, 2020, at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf, Iowa, aged 91. He was buried in Davenport Memorial Park in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

References

External links

Obituary
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jepsen, Roger 1928 births 2020 deaths Businesspeople from Iowa Farmers from Iowa University of Northern Iowa alumni Arizona State University alumni Republican Party Iowa state senators Politicians from Alexandria, Virginia United States Army officers Republican Party United States senators from Iowa People from Cedar Falls, Iowa Military personnel from Iowa County supervisors in Iowa United States Army reservists Politicians from Davenport, Iowa Lieutenant Governors of Iowa