Senator Lawrence Putney View All Years

LAWRENCE PUTNEY

MR. PRESIDENT: Your committee, appointed to prepare a suitable resolution commemorating the life, character and public service of the late Honorable Lawrence Putney, begs leave to submit the following memorial:

Lawrence Putney was born November 3, 1899, in Grundy Center, Grundy County, Iowa. He attended public schools in Cedar Falls, Iowa State Teachers College and Iowa State University. He was a high school principal and coach, chairman of the library board and served as mayor of Gladbrook and on the city council. He was married to Geneva Eldridge; they had two sons and two daughters.

Mr. Putney was interested in farming and livestock production throughout his life. He was in hatchery, feed and produce business for twenty-eight years, owned and operated several farms and was actively involved in production of Aberdeen Angus cattle and Hampshire swine after he retired in 1955 until his death. He was a member of American Legion, Elks, I.O.O.F., A.F. and A.M., Iowa Consistory, El Kahir Shrine, Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity and the Methodist Church.

In 1944, he was elected to represent Tama County in the Iowa House of Representatives and served there during the Fifty-first through the Fifty-fifth General Assemblies. He was the Speaker pro tempore during the Fifty-fourth General Assembly. In 1954, he was elected to the Iowa Senate from Tama, Benton and Grundy Counties and served that body for two terms. In 1961, he was named chairman of the State Board of Social Welfare.

Mr. Putney was a member of the Budget and Financial Control Interim Committee during his second Senatorial term, and he was chairman of the very important Senate Appropriations Committee during the Fifty-ninth General Assembly.

Lawrence Putney died at his home in Gladbrook on October 23, 1979, at the age of 79. He is survived by his widow, Geneva; two sons, Mark of Des Moines and John of Gladbrook; two daughters, Jean Secor of Omaha, Nebraska, and Joan Tews of Lincoln, Nebraska; twelve grandchildren and a great-grandchild. Funeral services were held on October 26, 1979, at the United Methodist Church in Gladbrook.

Now Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of Iowa: That in the passing of the Honorable Lawrence Putney, the State has lost an honored citizen and a faithful and useful public servant, and the Senate by this resolution would express its appreciation of his services to his community, state and nation and tender its sympathy to the members of his family.

Be It Further Resolved: That a copy of this resolution be spread upon the Journal of the Senate and that the Secretary of the Senate by instructed to forward an enrolled copy to each member of his family.

JOANN ORR, Chairperson

A.R. KUDART

ELIZABETH R. MILLER

Committee

The resolution was unanimously adopted.