Personal and professional papers from a political figure with deep ties to Mount Pleasant will soon be preserved at a central Iowa university.
Officials with Drake University announced that the Cowles Library will house the personal and professional papers of Tom Vilsack, who served as the 40th Governor of Iowa and the 30th and 32nd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
The agreement was finalized during a signing ceremony at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. The collection includes materials documenting more than 40 years of Vilsack’s public service, spanning from the 1980s to the present.
The materials trace Vilsack’s early political career, including his time as mayor of Mount Pleasant from 1987 to 1992, through his two terms as Iowa governor from 1999 to 2007, and his tenure as the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in the modern era.
Vilsack’s entry into politics began in Mount Pleasant after the tragic death of then-mayor Edward King, who was shot and killed. Following that incident, Vilsack was encouraged to run for mayor, launching a career that would later take him to statewide and national leadership roles.
University officials say the collection includes both political and personal papers that will provide insight into major moments in Iowa and U.S. political history. Once organized and cataloged, the materials will be available to researchers at Cowles Library, with selected portions planned for digitization.
The Vilsack papers will join existing collections at Drake featuring other notable Iowa leaders, including former Governor Robert D. Ray, former U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, and longtime Congressman Neal Smith.
Although not a graduate of Drake, Vilsack has maintained ties to the university, serving as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law following his time as governor.
Once completed, the archive is expected to serve as a valuable resource for students, historians, and researchers studying public policy and leadership, including those interested in Vilsack’s early leadership roots in Mount Pleasant.