1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Iowa

IOWA (see ).&mdash;The pop. of Iowa in 1920 was 2,404,021; in 1910, 2,224,771; an increase of 8.1%, as against a decrease of 0.3% in the preceding decade. In 1915 the native whites of

native parentage numbered 1,422,464; those of foreign or mixed parentage 654,855, and the foreign-born whites 264,003. The negro pop. was 16,744. There were in 1920 43.2 inhabitants per sq. m. as against 40 in 1910. In 1920 the urban pop. was 36.4% of the whole.

There were seven cities having a pop. of over 25,000, as follows:

Government and Finances.&mdash;The commission plan of government, authorized in 1907 for cities of 25,000 or more inhabitants, was made applicable in 1911 to cities of 7,000 and in 1913 to cities of 2,000 or more inhabitants. By 1920 nine cities had organized under the commission plan: Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Keokuk, Marshalltown, Mason City, Ottumwa and Sioux City. In 1915 the General Assembly passed Acts allowing cities to organize their municipal government under either of two city-manager plans. One of these plans—which represents only a slight variation from the mayor-council type—had been adopted by 1920 in a number of the smaller communities. The other plan, patterned closely after that of Dayton, O., had in 1920 been adopted by only two Iowa cities—Dubuque and Webster City.

History.&mdash;The history of Iowa in the decade 1910-20 was marked by no economic or political changes of great importance. The state remained predominantly agricultural. Although its manufactures increased in importance, it was little disturbed by industrial controversies. The supremacy of the Republican party in politics was not seriously questioned. Owing to a split in the Republican party in 1912, the Democratic candidate for president received the electoral vote of Iowa, but the state returned to the Republican ranks in 1916, and in 1920 cast an overwhelming vote for Harding for president and for Nathan E. Kendall for governor. Throughout the decade U.S. Senator Albert B. Cummins continued to represent the state. The death of Senator Jonathan P. Dolliver in 1910 caused a vacancy which was filled temporarily by the appointment of Lafayette Young. In 1911 William S. Kenyon was chosen to fill the position and was reëlected in 1913 and 1918.

The adjutant-general of the state estimated in 1919 from official sources that nearly 110,000 men from Iowa served in the army, navy and marine corps in the World War. The total amount raised in Liberty and Victory loans in Iowa was $508,935,000. In the Third and Fourth Liberty loan campaigns Iowa was the first state in the Union to exceed its quota. Republican governors were elected or reflected every two years, incumbents being: Beryl F. Carroll, 1909-13; George W. Clarke, 1913-7; William L. Harding, 1917-21; Nathan E. Kendall, 1921-.


 * (J. C. P.)