Curt Hanson
A 73-year-old state legislator from southeast Iowa died at his home this morning.
State Representative Curt Hanson of Fairfield had served in the Iowa House since 2009, shortly after retiring as a teacher. He taught drivers ed at Fairfield High School for 43 years and was nationally recognized for his work.
House Minority Leader Mark Smith called his fellow Democrat “an exceptional public servant” who was a model of “thoughtful” and “diplomatic” representation for his constituents.
Hanson was born in 1943 and grew up on a farm near Swea City in northern Iowa’s Kossuth County. He had lived in Fairfield for 52 years and is survived by his wife, Diane, two adult children and five grandchildren.
Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann, a former member of the Iowa House, issued a written statement late this morning.
“I had the honor of serving with Curt and got to know him as a thoughtful, considerate and thorough legislator, a good man with a great heart. My thoughts and prayers are with his family,” Kaufmann said.
The governor will set a date for a special election in the southeast Iowa district to select Hanson’s replacement. A special election will be held in southwest Iowa on June 27th to fill a House seat that had been held by Greg Forristall of Macedonia. Forristall died of cancer in May.