New Faces
There are parking spaces reserved for various state officials in the lots outside the state capitol, and security often checks to make sure someone is not improperly parking in one of those spaces. Those folks are no doubt going to be doing a double take for a while…because there are different cars parking in the attorney general’s and treasurer’s spaces these days…the first change in either in some decades.
Democrat Michael Fitzgerald served as Iowa’s state treasurer for 40 years, first taking the oath in 1983 when he was only 31 years of age. That tenure made the Marshall County native the longest-serving state treasurer in the U.S.
Similar tale for Democrat Tom Miller, who served a total of 40 years as Iowa’s attorney general. He lost his first run against GOP incumbent Richard Turner in 1974, but then beat Turner in 1978. He served 12 years, fell short in a primary run for governor, and returned to office four years later…for another 28 years. That total makes him the longest serving state attorney general in U.S. history.
Of course, both lost bids for re-election last November, and both now begin the new year out of office. Fitzgerald is 71 years of age, Miller 78.
We in Iowa tend to pick elected officials and stick with them for long tenures…Terry Branstad is the longest-serving governor in U.S. history, thanks to his two stints in office…names like Robert Ray, Neal Smith, H.R. Gross, Charles Grassley, and Tom Harkin come to mind, as well.
Politics aside, it’s clearly the end of an era in the lives of each office. The treasurer became heavily involved in returning unclaimed funds through the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, as well as 529 funds for college savings. The attorney general focused early on on the topic of consumer protection, continuing to settle lawsuits on the topic until the very end.
A salute, then, to two long-serving public officials. I’ve interviewed both, and been treated well by both. Again, partisanship aside, all Iowans owe each a word of thanks.
