Chuck Grassley: “2026 is an opportunity to talk about the centennial progress in American agriculture and a famous Iowa family that was…”

“2026 is an opportunity to talk about the centennial progress in American agriculture and a famous Iowa family that was involved in that. Before I give my remarks on that centennial, I would like to give a little history of the Wallace family of Iowa--three generations. Grandfather Henry Wallace, I don't have a lot of history on, but Henry C. Wallace, his son, was President Harding's Secretary of Agriculture, from 1921 until Henry's death in 1924. And then Henry C. Wallace had a son, Henry A. Wallace, who was Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Commerce from 1933 to 1941, under Franklin Roosevelt's first two terms. Unlike his father, who was presumably a Republican under President Harding, Henry A. Wallace was obviously a Democrat to serve in Franklin Roosevelt's Cabinet, and then he went on to be a Vice President during Franklin Roosevelt's third term. In 1948, this same Henry A. Wallace was the Progressive Party's candidate for President of the United States, a time when Harry Truman was reelected President of the generation. So that is kind of the politics of the people I am talking about, but I am talking about their role in American agriculture and what it has meant for the production of corn today in the United States. So we celebrate the work of an Iowan who pioneered new frontiers in American agriculture. That pioneer was Henry A. Wallace. Like many farm kids, Henry grew up with soil, the very soul of Iowa running through his veins.”