Arthur C. Hanson (1891-1966) was a livestock farmer and former member of the Iowa State House of Representatives. He was an active member of the Inwood (Iowa) community serving on the Inwood school board, the Lyon County Board of Supervisors, and the local farm bureau chapter. This collection contains biographical information and correspondence relating to Hanson's legislative career. The bulk of the letters are from Lyon County constituents expressing their positions on various House bills, such as legislation to discontinue Iowa's mandatory testing for tuberculosis on cows, to limit the number of county supervisors from five to three, and to reduce taxes.

Arthur C. Hanson was born to Olive and Henry L. Hanson on August 9, 1891, in Inwood, Iowa. He attended Iowa State College (University) and graduated from the two-year agriculture program in 1915. While at Iowa State, Hanson was a member of the Pythian literary society and the Curtiss Club. He received the Curtiss Club Medal (1915).

Hanson returned to Inwood after college to become a livestock farmer. On July 25, 1918, Hanson married Emma A. Helder and spent six months in military service with the Ninth Division, starting July 29, 1918. However, World War I ended before Hanson could be sent overseas; he was discharged from military service on February 1, 1919. With his wife, Emma, Hanson had three sons: Harland, Eldon, and Marlo.

Hanson, a Republican, was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives (1934) and served ten terms. He also served as Speaker of the Iowa State House of Representatives (1955-1956). In addition to his career as a legislator, Hanson was a prominent member of the Inwood community. He served on the Lyon County Board of Supervisors, as president of the Inwood school board, president of the Lyon County Farm Bureau, commander of the Inwood American Legion Post, and lay leader for the Methodist Church in Lyon County. He died on January 31, 1966, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

This collection (1917-1966, undated) contains biographical information (military service records, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and Iowa State College alumni records), as well as correspondence relating to Hanson's careers as a House Representative and Speaker. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters from Lyon County constituents expressing their positions on various House bills, such as legislation to discontinue Iowa's mandatory testing for tuberculosis on cows, to reduce the number of county supervisors from five to three, and a tax reduction bill.

The Special Collections Department holds a number of manuscript collections documenting the lives and careers of individual legislators. A listing is available online at: http://findingaids.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/collections/legislators.html .

The collection is organized alphabetically.