Elwyn Thurman Gaskill (April 4, 1935 – March 7, 2023) was an American politician who was a member of the Iowa Senate from 1997 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he first represented Iowa's 8th Senate district from 1997 to 2003, then represented the 6th district from 2003 to 2009. He was the majority leader of the Iowa Senate for six years. Gaskill was a director of Meta Financial Group, Incorporated, from 1982 to 2014. He was a commissioner of the Iowa Development Commission and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, president of the National Corn Growers Association, chairman of the United States Feed Grains Council, and held other agricultural positions.
Early life and education Elwyn Thurman Gaskill was born on April 4, 1935, in Algona, Iowa, and was the son of George Elwyn and Mildred Genevieve (née Chapman) Gaskill. He graduated from Corwith Consolidated High School in 1953 and attended Iowa State University,"Corwith High School Graduates", IAGenWeb.org website, IAGenWeb Project, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2023. where he met his wife.
Career He served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956 and was stationed in West Germany.
Gaskill began farming in 1958 on rented property and expanded over the years, purchasing his own land. He was inducted into the Iowa State University Agricultural Hall of Fame in the spring of 1975.
He was appointed to the Iowa Development Commission by governor Robert Ray and was the vice chair of its Agriculture Promotion Board. He was appointed to the board of the National Corn Growers Association and later became its president. He was the first chairman of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. He was the chairman of the U.S. Feed Grains Council in 1981.
He was a director of Meta Financial Group, Incorporated, a bank holding company, from 1982 to 2014.
Gaskill was on the Hancock County Board of Education. In 1989, he was appointed to the board of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Gaskill succeeded James Edward Black to represent Iowa's 8th Senate district after Black resigned during the .
Gaskill was reelected in 2004 with 17,192 votes (58%), defeating John Drury, the Democratic party nominee. He did not seek reelection to the Iowa Senate in the 2008 election.
During 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 the ranking member of the agriculture and natural resources appropriations subcommittee.
He supported Rudy Giuliani in the 2008 Republican party presidential primary campaign as the Iowa chairman of Farmers for Rudy, and as a national co-chairman.. Globe Gazette. Mason City, Iowa: Lee Enterprises. June 27, 2007. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2009. "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."
In 2009, Wallaces Farmer honored Gaskill and his wife Gerry, along with three other families, as "Iowa Master Farmers".. Garner Leader & Signal. Garner, Iowa: Mid-America Publishing Corporation. March 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2009. "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 were 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."
Death Gaskill died at the Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona, Iowa, on March 7, 2023.
Personal life He married Geraldine "Gerry" Adkins in Grinnell, Iowa, on June 8, 1958. They had four children, one of whom, James Scott Gaskill, died as an infant. Gaskill attended the Corwith United Methodist Church.
References
External links Senator E. Thurman Gaskill, Iowa General Assembly
Follow the Money - E. Thurman Gaskill 2006 2004 2000 1998 campaign contributions