Roger Jepsen
Jepsen in 1983
United States Senator
from Iowa
In office
January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985
Preceded byDick Clark
Succeeded byTom Harkin
38th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
In office
January 16, 1969 – January 18, 1973
GovernorRobert D. Ray
Preceded byRobert D. Fulton
Succeeded byArthur Neu
Member of the Iowa Senate
In office
1966–1968
Personal details
Born
Roger William Jepsen

December 23, 1928
Cedar Falls, Iowa, U.S.
DiedNovember 13, 2020(2020-11-13) (aged 91)
Bettendorf, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Dorothy Ann Lambertson
​
​
(m. 1948, divorced)​

Dee Ann Delaney
​
(m. 1958)​
Children5 (four from first marriage and one from second marriage)
Alma materArizona State University
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1946–1947
1948–1960

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.

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.[1] Jepsen attended public schools.

Education

Jepsen attended University of Northern Iowa. Jepsen graduated from Arizona State University 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 Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.[2]

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 businesses.

Jepsen served as a county supervisor of Scott County from 1962 to 1965 and was a state Senator from 1966 to 1968. He was the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 1969 to 1973, having been elected with Governor Robert D. Ray in 1968.

In 1978, 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 the people in South Africa against their apartheid government.[3] He served a single term from January 3, 1979, to January 3, 1985. He served as co-chairman of the Joint Economic Committee in the 98th Congress.

Fellow Republican colleagues praised Jepsen for persuading then U.S. President Ronald Reagan to lift the agricultural ban against the Soviet Union.[4]

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.

Personal life and death

Roger Jepsen's grave in Davenport Memorial Park

Jepsen married twice in life, he married first to Dorothy Ann Lambertson in 1948, and they had four children, Jeffrey Jepsen, Craig Jepsen, Ann Carruthers, and Debbie Geisler. The marriage ended by divorce. He then married Dee Ann Delaney in 1958, who had one daughter from her previous marriage, Linda (died 1996), and they had one son together, Coy Jepsen.

Jepsen died on November 13, 2020, at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf, Iowa, age 91.[5][6] He was interred in Davenport Memorial Park in Davenport, Iowa.

References

  1. ↑ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Distinguished Alumni". Tau Kappa Epsilon. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  3. ↑ Rogers, David (December 26, 2013). "A Nelson Mandela backstory: Iowa's Dick Clark". Politico. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  4. ↑ Tolchin, Martin (27 July 1984). "CONGRESS; THE G.O.P. ROADSHOW OF MUTUAL ADMIRATION". New York Times. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Mohmand, Amber (November 15, 2020). "Former U.S. Senator Roger Jepsen dies at 91". Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  6. ↑ McFadden, Robert D. (November 15, 2020). "Roger Jepsen, Senator From Iowa and Reagan Ally, Dies at 91". New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
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