Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad receives Iowa Award
Former Gov. Terry Branstad was presented the Iowa Award by Gov. Kim Reynolds at a ceremony conducted at the Iowa State Capitol Dec. 11, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch
December 11, 2025
Former Gov. Terry Branstad, the nation’s longest-serving governor and a former U.S. ambassador to China, was granted the Iowa Award Thursday, the state’s highest citizen award.
Branstad became the 26th recipient of the award, joining the ranks of other notable Iowans including President Herbert Hoover, Nobel Peace Price winner Norman Borlaug, former Gov. Robert Ray and scientist George Washington Carver. As Gov. Kim Reynolds presented the award to Branstad, she reflected on her time serving with him as lieutenant governor, saying she was happy to be able to honor his legacy of “leaving things better than you found them.”
“I got to see firsthand how hard you worked every day on behalf of Iowans,” Reynolds said. “I watched and I learned that you led with courage, you made tough decisions with grace, always doing the right thing because it was the right thing, and always, always putting Iowans first.”
Branstad was first elected governor in 1982, becoming then the state’s youngest governor when he took office at age 36. He served four terms as governor before moving to serve as president of Des Moines University from 2003 to 2009. In 2010, he ran again as governor, defeating former Democratic Gov. Chet Culver and holding the executive seat until he was appointed U.S. ambassador to China by President Donald Trump in 2016. After his time working as ambassador and for Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, the Iowa Republican also served as president of the World Food Prize Foundation from 2023 until February 2025.
As he received the award, Branstad thanked family, friends and the people who served in his administration for their support — as well as thanking Iowans for supporting his political career.
“Thank you the people of Iowa, you are a wonderful, caring, thoughtful, friendly group of people, and it’s an honor to serve you,” Branstad said.
Branstad also received congratulations from many who were not able to attend the ceremony in Des Moines. Videos from fellow Iowans including opera singer Simon Estes, another Iowa Award recipient; members of Iowa’s federal delegation including U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor, were shown during the event, offering praise for Branstad’s service to Iowa.
Grassley gave remarks on the U.S. Senate floor Thursday congratulating Branstad on receiving the award, saying he first met Branstad when he was serving as a state representative in January 1973.
“Throughout his lifetime of public service, Terry applied the bone deep work ethic of an Iowa farmer with extra elbow grease, fiscal conservatism and rock-solid tenacity,” Grassley said. “He’s famous for his retail politicking and his political skill. … And he joins an esteemed group of Iowans, examples like President Herbert Hoover to Norman Borlaug and Grant Wood, who’ve helped make our state the best place to call home.”
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn also spoke about Branstad on the U.S. House floor, saying during his time interning for Gov. Branstad in 1995, “his example of integrity, discipline and humility is shaping who I am today.”
“We’re both Drake grads, both military members, we’re veterans, and we’re committed to serving Iowa,” Nunn said. “Governor Branstad and his wonderful wife, Chris, are more than just mentors, they’re friends to every Iowan. He’s a leader who helped build our state, and we are proud to call it home.”
Reynolds also presented another gift honoring Branstad at the ceremony, unveiling signs noting a 36-mile stretch of Iowa Highway 9 dedicated to the former governor. The midpoint of the dedicated highway is in Leland, Iowa, where Branstad was born.
Improving Highway 9 was a major point during Branstad’s early campaigns for the Iowa House, Reynolds said, and Branstad told voters, “if I’m elected, I’ll raise hell every chance I get to see what can be done about Highway 9.”
“After he was elected, he had the chance to do just that. As the Nixon administration provided federal funding for highway maintenance and repair, like he always does, Terry kept his promise, working with the commission to move Highway 9 to the top of the state’s list of priorities,” Reynolds said. “And in 1985, on one of the coldest days of the year, Lt. Gov. Branstad attended the dedication of the newly completed Highway 9 project. As a group stood outside for the ceremony in freezing temperatures, he remarked, ‘Well, they said it’d be a cold day in hell, and I guess they were right.’”
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
