E. Thurman Gaskill

E. Thurman Gaskill
Member of the Iowa Senate
from the 6th district
In office
January 13, 1997 – 2009
Preceded bySteve King
Succeeded byMerlin Bartz
Personal details
Born(1935-04-04)April 4, 1935
Algona, Iowa, U.S.
DiedMarch 7, 2023 (aged 87)
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceCorwith, Iowa
Alma materIowa State University
OccupationFarmer
WebsiteGaskill's erstwhile Senate website

E. Thurman Gaskill (April 4, 1935 - March 7, 2023) was an American politician who served as an Iowa State Senator from the 6th District and Assistant Majority Leader of the Iowa Senate. Gaskill was a grain farmer and a director of Meta Financial Group, Incorporated (Nasdaq: CASH), a bank holding company. He served in the Iowa Senate 1997–2007. He also was a commissioner of both Iowa's Department of Economic Development and its Department of Natural Resources, president of Iowa Corn Growers Association, president of National Corn Growers Association, chairman of the United States Feed Grains Council, and held other agriculture positions.[1][2][3]

In his last term Gaskill served on several committees in the Iowa Senate, the Agriculture committee; the Appropriations committee; the State Government committee; and the Natural Resources and Environment committee, where he was the ranking member. He was ranking member of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee.

Gaskill was re-elected in 2004 with 17,192 votes (58%), defeating Democrat John Drury.[4] He did not seek re-election to the Senate in the 2008 elections.[5][6]

He supported Rudolph Giuliani in the 2008 Republican presidential primary campaign as Iowa chairman of Farmers for Rudy, and as a national co-chairman.[7]

In 2009, Wallaces' Farmer magazine honored Mr. Gaskill and his wife Gerry, along with three other families, as Iowa Master Farmers.[8][9]

He graduated from Corwith High School in 1953 and attended Iowa State University.[10] He served in the United States Army 1954-1956.

He began farming in 1958 on rented property and expanded over the years, purchasing his own land.[11] He was inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame in the Spring of 1975.[11]

  1. ^ "E. Thurman Gaskill". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. ^ "E. Thurman Gaskill Profile - Forbes.com". Forbes magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2009-03-27. Mr. Gaskill has owned and operated a grain farming operation located near Corwith, Iowa, since 1958. He has served as a commissioner with the Iowa Department of Economic Development and also as a commissioner with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Mr. Gaskill is the past president of Iowa Corn Growers Association, past chairman of the United States Feed Grains Council, and has served in numerous other agriculture positions. He is a member of the Iowa State Senate and represents District 6. He has served as Chairman of the Senate Agricultural Committee and as Assistant Majority Leader of the Iowa Senate.
  3. ^ "Meta Financial Group Inc. News". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-27. Meta Financial Group, Inc. (Meta Financial) is a registered unitary savings and loan holding company. MetaBank (the Bank), the only direct, active full service banking subsidiary of Meta Financial, is a community-oriented financial institution offering a variety of financial services to meet the needs of the communities it serves and a payments company that provides services nationwide. The Company provides a range of financial services. The principal business of MetaBank is attracting retail deposits from the general public and investing those funds primarily in one- to four-family residential mortgage loans, commercial and multi-family real estate, agricultural operations and real estate, construction, and consumer and commercial business loans primarily in MetaBank's market areas. MetaBank also purchases mortgage-backed securities and other investments permissible under applicable regulations. Meta Financial also owns Meta Trust Company, a South Dakota trust corporation.
  4. ^ Culver, Chester J. (December 6, 2004). "Canvass Summary - ELECTION: 2004 General Election (11/2/2004)" (PDF). State of Iowa. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2009-03-27. John Drury 12,213
    Thurman Gaskill 17,192
  5. ^ "Angelo says he won't seek another Senate term". The Des Moines Register. DES MOINES, Iowa. Associated Press. 17 September 2007. Document APRS000020070917e39h002yx. AP State Wires: Iowa | US State/Regional | IA BRF Angelo Decision | D8RNH24G1
  6. ^ "State senator won't seek re-election". The Gazette. Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press. 6 April 2007. Document APRS000020070406e346001fl. AP State Wires: Iowa | US State/Regional | IA Gaskill Iowa Senate | D8OB80NG0
  7. ^ "North Iowa News Briefs - Gaskill joins Giuliani campaign". Globe Gazette. Mason City, Iowa: Lee Enterprises. June 27, 2007. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved 2009-03-27. The Rudy Giuliani presidential Committee has announced the selection of State Sen. Thurman Gaskill of Corwith as the chairman of the Iowa Farmers for Rudy. Gaskill will also serve as national co-chairman of Agriculture for Rudy Giuliani.
  8. ^ "Thurman And Gerry Gaskill Named Iowa Master Farmers". Garner Leader & Signal. Garner, Iowa: Mid-America Publishing Corporation. 17 March 2009. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 2009-03-27. Former State Senator Thurman Gaskill and wife, Gerry, Corwith, have been named Iowa Master Farms by Wallaces Farmer magazine. They are among four Iowa farm families that will be recognized during ceremonies in Johnston on March 19.... Henry A. Wallace, editor of Wallaces Farmer from 1921 to 1933, initiated the Iowa Master Farmer Award in 1926 to call attention to Iowa farmers who not only demonstrate outstanding farm management, but also provide leadership in local, state and national organizations.
  9. ^ Holdmeyer, Frank. "What it takes to be a Master" (PDF). Wallace's Farmer. Retrieved 2009-03-27. Henry A. Wallace, editor of Wallaces Farmer from 1921 to 1933, initiated the Iowa Master Farmer Award in 1926 to call attention to Iowa farmers who not only demonstrate outstanding management in their farming operations, but also provide leadership in local, state and national organizations. It is the longest running farmer recognition program in the country...
  10. ^ "Corwith High School Graduates", IAGenWeb.org website, IAGenWeb Project, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Christian, Rebecca. "Farmer's interests span the globe", Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa, volume 116, number 201, August 23, 1975, page 6.