Robert D. Blue

This article is about the politician. For the artist, see Robert Blue.

Robert Donald Blue


30th Governor of Iowa
In office January 11, 1945 – January 13, 1949
Lieutenant	Kenneth A. Evans
Preceded by	Bourke B. Hickenlooper
Succeeded by	William S. Beardsley
31st Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
In office January 14, 1943 – January 11, 1945
Governor	Bourke B. Hickenlooper
Preceded by	Bourke B. Hickenlooper
Succeeded by	Kenneth A. Evans
47th Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives
In office January 13, 1941 – January 14, 1943
Preceded by	John R. Irwin
Succeeded by	Henry W. Burma
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 75th district
In office January 14, 1935 – January 10, 1943
Preceded by	R.E. Lee Aldrich
Succeeded by	William Tyrrell
Personal details
Born	September 24, 1898 Eagle Grove, Iowa
Died	December 13, 1989(1989-12-13) (aged 91) Fort Dodge, Iowa
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Iowa State University Drake University
Profession	Attorney

Robert Donald Blue (September 24, 1898, Eagle Grove, Iowa – December 13, 1989, Fort Dodge, Iowa) was the 30th Governor of Iowa from 1945 to 1949.

Biography

Blue attended Capital City Commercial College and Iowa State University. He served in the United States Army during World War I. After the war, he earned a law degree from Drake University in 1922. He practiced law in Eagle Grove and was County Attorney of Wright County, Iowa from 1924 to 1931 and City Attorney of Eagle Grove from 1932 to 1934.

In 1934, Blue was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. He was reelected in 1936, 1938, 1940, and 1942, and was Speaker of the Iowa House from 1939 to 1943. He was elected the 31st Lieutenant Governor in 1942 and then Governor in 1944, winning reelection in 1946.

Blue's policies were unpopular among labor groups (opposed to his bill outlawing the closed shop), farmers (opposed to his tax policies), and teachers (opposed to his cuts in education funding). One of his principal opponents in the legislature, William S. Beardsley, took advantage of Blue's unpopularity and successfully challenged him in the Republican primary in 1948. Blue left public life and returned to his hometown of Eagle Grove. He died of a stroke in 1989.

Legacy

After his death, the middle school in Eagle Grove, Iowa changed its name to Robert Blue Middle School (RBMS) in his memory.

References

National Governors Association biography
"Popularity in Reverse", TIME, June 21, 1948
"Robert D. Blue Dies, Former Iowa Governor", New York Times, December 18, 1989
The Robert Donald Blue Papers are housed at the University of Iowa Special Collections & University Archives.

Political offices
Preceded by Bourke B. Hickenlooper	Lieutenant Governor of Iowa 1943–1945	Succeeded by Kenneth A. Evans
Preceded by Bourke B. Hickenlooper	Governor of Iowa 1945–1949	Succeeded by William S. Beardsley
Iowa House of Representatives
Preceded by John R. Irwin	47th Speaker 1941–1943	Succeeded by Henry W. Burma
Preceded by R.E. Lee Aldrich	56th District 1945–1949	Succeeded by William Tyrrell

Governors of Iowa

Territorial (1838–46)	William B. Conway (acting) Robert Lucas John Chambers James Clarke

State (since 1846)	Briggs Hempstead Grimes Lowe Kirkwood Stone Merrill Carpenter Kirkwood Newbold Gear Sherman Larrabee Boies Jackson Drake Shaw Cummins Garst Carroll Clarke Harding Kendall Hammill Turner Herring Kraschel Wilson Hickenlooper Blue Beardsley Elthon Hoegh Loveless Erbe Hughes Fulton Ray Branstad Vilsack Culver Branstad

Lieutenant Governors of Iowa

Faville Rusch Needham Eastman Gue Scott Walden Bulis Dysart Newbold Campbell Manning Hull Poyneer Bestow Dungan Parrott Milliman Herriott Garst Clarke Harding Moore Hammill Kimball McFarlane Kraschel Valentine Hickenlooper Blue Evans Nicholas Elthon Nicholas McManus Mooty Fulton Jepsen Neu Branstad Anderson Zimmerman Corning Pederson Judge Reynolds

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