Joy Corning
Corning in 2015
43rd Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
In office
January 1991 – January 15, 1999
GovernorTerry Branstad
Preceded byJo Ann Zimmerman
Succeeded bySally Pederson
Personal details
Born(1932-09-07)September 7, 1932
Bridgewater, Iowa, U.S.
DiedMay 20, 2017(2017-05-20) (aged 84)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionEducator

Joy Corning (September 7, 1932 – May 20, 2017) was an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of Iowa. A Republican, she was a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

Early political career

Prior to being elected lieutenant governor in 1990, Corning served as a state senator representing what was then Senate District 12 in Black Hawk County. She also served as the president of the Cedar Falls School Board, and worked as the director of the Iowa Housing Finance Authority from 1981 to 1984.[1]

Female firsts

Corning entered the 1998 Republican gubernatorial primary, making history as the first woman to run for the Republican nomination to the office of governor in the state’s history. After an abbreviated gubernatorial campaign, she was forced to drop out due in large part to a lack of financial support.[2]

Political positions

Corning has long been recognized as a leader among moderates and social liberals within the Republican Party. Corning was state Captain of the Republican Leadership Council.[3]

A vocal proponent of abortion rights, Corning served on the Board of Directors for Iowa’s chapter of Planned Parenthood and even led that organization’s fundraising drive in 2002.[4]

A proponent of gay rights, on May 12, 2009, Corning received the "Interfaith Award" along with the woman who followed her as Lt. Governor, Sally Pederson.[5] The award was presented by the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, and came after a joint letter to the editor of the Des Moines Register penned by the pair of former Lieutenant Governors promoting gay marriage.[6]

Death

Corning died May 20, 2017, from a liver condition.[7]

She was awarded the 2017 Edward S. Allen Award by the ACLU of Iowa in August 2017.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Iowa Legislator - Senator Joy Corning". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  2. ^ DeKoster, Luke (February 27, 1998). "Corning drops out of race for governor, cites time constraints".
  3. ^ "Iowa Republican Leadership Council". Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  4. ^ Martin, Jonathan (June 11, 2007). "Rudy's Iowa co-chair served on state's Planned Parenthood board". Politico.
  5. ^ "Interfaith Alliance of Iowa". Archived from the original on February 24, 2010.
  6. ^ "Corning and Pederson Thanksgiving shove for gay marriage". Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  7. ^ Crippes, Christiania (May 21, 2017). "Wonderful public servant' Joy Corning dies at 84". The Courier.
  8. ^ "Mary Campos, Joy Corning Win Edward S. Allen Award". aclu-ia.org. August 1, 2017.

External links

Party political offices Preceded byJoan Lipsky Republican Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa 1990, 1994 Succeeded byAlmo Hawkins Political offices Preceded byJo Ann Zimmerman Lieutenant Governor of Iowa 1991–1999 Succeeded bySally Pederson
Lieutenant governors of Iowa
Iowa Women's Hall of Fame
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