Senator Raymond W. Hagie View All Years

RAYMOND W. HAGIE

Raymond W. Hagie was born in Wright County, Iowa, on February 1, 1910, on the Dayton Township farm of his parents, William J. and Minnie Hagie. He passed away on October 25, 2006, at the age of 96. He is survived by his wife, June, of Clarion, Iowa; son John and his wife, Barbara, of Clarion; daughter Margaret Severino and her husband, Frank, of Des Moines; son-in-law Ted West of Barrington, Illinois; eight grandchildren; and fourteen great-grandchildren.

Hagie attended a rural Wright County school and Clarion High School, where he was active in football, wrestling, and track. Following his graduation from high school, he attended Iowa State College in Ames. He studied animal husbandry and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1933. He then returned to the family farm where he helped expand and improve both the Shorthorn cattle herd and the cropping operation. He became interested in a new agricultural development called hybrid seed corn.

Hagie married June Remington on November 3, 1935, in Ames, Iowa. The couple owned and operated an 850-acre farm near Clarion. Hagie continued his agricultural pursuits, particularly his interest in the hybrid seed corn. This interest in hybrid seed corn developed from a hobby to neighborhood sales to the establishment of a company called Hagie’s Adapted Hybrids.

In the early 1940s, Hagie built a self-propelled machine to help in the detasseling of corn. This lead to his development of the first commercially produced high-clearance self-propelled sprayer and resulted in the founding of Hagie Manufacturing.

Hagie was active in his community. He was a director of the Wright County State Bank and a member of the Clarion Development Commission, the Rotary Club, the Farm Bureau, the Iowa Crop Improvement Association, and the American Seed Trade Association. He was a soil district commissioner from 1945–1948 and helped organize the Iowa Association of Soil District Commissioners. He was a founding member of the committee for the Living History Farms. He was a supporter of Iowa State University, serving on the Board of Governors, the Athletic Council, and the CIRAS Advisory Council. He was honored by ISU’s athletic department as one of Cy’s Favorite Alums.

Hagie was a Wright County Republican. He served in the House of Representatives in 1961–1964 during the 59th and 60th General Assemblies. He was elected to the Senate and served for two years during the 61st General Assembly. He served as the director for Ronald Reagan’s Iowa presidential campaigns in 1976 and 1980.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE EIGHTY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF IOWA: That in the passing of the Honorable Raymond W. Hagie, the State has lost an honored citizen and faithful and useful public servant, and that the Senate by this resolution expresses its appreciation of his service to the State and tenders its sympathy and kindest regards 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 be instructed to forward an enrolled copy to the family of the deceased.

E. THURMAN GASKILL

LARRY MCKIBBEN

RICH OLIVE

Committee