Ruth Harkin Explained

Ruth Harkin
Office:Deputy Counsel for the United States Department of Agriculture
Term Start:1979
Term End:1981
President:Jimmy Carter
Office2:County Attorney of Story County, Iowa
Term Start2:1973
Term End2:1979
Birth Name:Ruth Raduenz
Birth Date:27 August 1944
Birth Place:Vesta, Minnesota, U.S.
Children:2
Alma Mater:University of Minnesota (BA)
Catholic University of America (JD)

Ruth Harkin (née Raduenz; born 1944) is an American attorney who served as county attorney of Story County, Iowa, one of the first female prosecutors elected in the United States.[1]

Early life and education

Harkin was born in Vesta, Minnesota on August 27, 1944. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Minnesota and a Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law.[2] [3]

Career

Harkin was elected county attorney of Story County, Iowa in 1973 and served until 1979. From 1979 to 1981, she served as a deputy counsel for the United States Department of Agriculture prior to joining the Washington lobbying firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP in 1983. In 1993, President Bill Clinton named her chair and chief executive officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Harkin left the government and became Senior Vice President for international affairs and government relations of United Technologies in April 1997. In 2002, she became a Director of ConocoPhillips. Harkin was a member of the Iowa Board of Regents from 2005 to 2015.[4] [5]

Harkin endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[6]

Personal life

Harkin has been married to the former United States Senator Tom Harkin since 1968. The couple has two daughters.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Man convicted of killing his 2-year-old son dies in Iowa prison. 2019-10-18. Radio Iowa. en-US. 2020-04-10.
  2. Web site: Ruth R. Harkin, JD | Iowa Department of Human Rights. humanrights.iowa.gov. 2020-04-10.
  3. Book: Appropriations. U. S. Congress House Committee on. Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1981: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, Congress, Second Session. Agencies. United States Congress House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related. 1980. U.S. Government Printing Office. en.
  4. News: Cooney . Bill . Ruth Harkin's term to end . June 20, 2022 . The Daily Iowan . April 30, 2015.
  5. News: Charis-Carlson . Jeff . Regents to lose decades of knowledge with Harkin, Downer departure . June 20, 2022 . Iowa City Press-Citizen . April 19, 2015.
  6. Web site: Clinton back to the state that haunts. Haberman. Maggie. POLITICO. en. 2020-04-10.
  7. Web site: Ruth Harkin reflects on 50 years of marriage: 'Maybe the beginning was never as fragile as it seemed'. Des Moines Register. en. 2020-04-10.