Landmark Longevity: Branstad Seals Governor Tenure Record

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Of note for those interested in American history and political science.

Landmark Longevity: Branstad Seals Governor Tenure Record

By: Kyle Munson, 4 pm CST Decenber 12, 2015

LELAND, Ia. — Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad pulled his trench coat tighter to block a chill wind last month as he strolled across the Winnebago County farmstead where as a boy he slopped hogs, cradled newborn lambs and spent long days baling hay alongside his father.

In high school, his head hit the pillow at night full of political aspirations — albeit dreams that did not stray beyond the Mississippi River.

Today this smattering of machine sheds and grain bins is headquarters for his brother and nephews’ farm business. His leaky, ramshackle former home has been relegated to spillover storage and is due to be demolished.

The governor’s great-grandfather from Norway purchased this original 144 acres in 1883.

“It would be hard for him to imagine what this farming operation has really come to,” Branstad said of his ancestor.

Or perhaps harder for him to imagine that his great-grandson would not plow fields for a living but become an attorney, state lawmaker and, eventually, the longest-serving governor in American history.

On Dec. 14, the Republican governor with the signature mustache who’s serving a record sixth term will mark his 7,642nd day in office.

full story continues at:

http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/kyle-munson/2015/12/12/iowa-governor-terry-branstad-longest-serving-in-america/76718090/