Warren Garst (December 4, 1850 – October 5, 1924) was an American politician, Iowa State Senator, a member of the Republican Party, the

Lieutenant Governor of Iowa This is a list of lieutenant governors of the U.S. state of Iowa. The state constitution describes the responsibilities of the position: "The lieutenant governor shall have the duties provided by law and those duties of the governor assigned to ...

, and the 19th Governor of Iowa.

Early Life

Garst was born to Dr. Michael Garst and Marie Louise Morrison in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

. His father's side was descended from

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

and his mother's from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. At age 8 he and his family moved to

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...

. At age 19 he moved to

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 ...

to start his business career. He and his brother went to

Coon Rapids, Iowa Coon Rapids is a city in Carroll and Guthrie counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,300 at the 2020 census, which is a decrease of 5 from the 2000 census. The small portion of Coon Rapids that lies in Guthrie County is part ...

, to open a

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

called ''The Garst Store''. He later co-founded Iowa Savings Bank in Coon Rapids. Garst and Elizabeth Johnson had one child, Ada Belle Garst. Elizabeth died in 1881. He then married to Clara H. Clark Lee, in 1889 in Boone, and had two children: Louise Garst and Warren Carroll Garst Jr.

Political Career

Iowa Senate

Garst started his political career when he ran for State Senate in 1893 and became a member of the Iowa Senate 1894. He served in the 25th through 31st General Assemblies (1894-1908). From 1896 to 1907, he was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Lieutenant Governor and Governor

He was nominated for lieutenant governor at the Republican Convention in 1906 and was inaugurated on January 17, 1907. When Governor Albert B. Cummins was elected into the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

he was elevated to the position of Governor of Iowa. During his short time as governor he carried out the Cummins administration's policies. He was urged to run for a full term as governor, but lost the 1910 Republican primary to State Auditor Beryl F. Carroll 49% to 35%, with the votes being: Carroll receiving 88,834 votes; Garst, 63,737; and John J. Hamilton, 29,292.

Industrial Commissioner

In July 1913, Garst was appointed by Governor George W. Clarke to be Industrial Commissioner. He helped to get laws enacted to get workers compensated for industrial accidents.

Later Life

He died on October 5, 1924, and was buried at the Glendale Cemetery in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garst, Warren 1850 births 1924 deaths Republican Party governors of Iowa Republican Party Iowa state senators Lieutenant governors of Iowa Politicians from Dayton, Ohio People from Carroll County, Iowa American businesspeople Place of death missing 20th-century Iowa politicians