Senator C. Joseph Coleman View All Years

Compiled Historical Information
Date of Death: 7/26/2002
Birth Place: Fort Dodge, Iowa
Birth County: Webster
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Assemblies Served:
Senate: 57 (1957) - 73 (1989)
Home County: Webster
C. Joseph Coleman
Webster County

C. JOSEPH COLEMAN

C. Joseph Coleman was born on March 14, 1923, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Daniel and Geneva Coleman. He passed away on Friday, July 26, 2002, at the age of seventy-nine. He is survived his wife Polly of forty-eight years; sons, C. Joseph Coleman, Jr., and Kerry Coleman, both of Fort Dodge, and Kevin Gerard of Lenox, Massachusetts; five sisters, Delores Roe of Des Moines, Denise Ritschel of Peoria, Illinois, Patricia Coleman of Fort Dodge, Marcia Castricone of Las Vegas, and Karen Tuohy of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Katherine.

Coleman lived in Clare, Iowa, all his life. He attended St. Matthew’s elementary and high school in Clare, attended Iowa State University, and graduated from Bradley University in Illinois. After college, he went to work for the Iowa Conservation Service. On October 27, 1945, Coleman married Katherine Ann Burken of Des Moines. Katherine passed away of cancer in December of 1950. On January 16, 1954, he married Polly Pflanz of Des Moines.

Coleman was an active and lifelong member of the St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. He served as President Pro Tempore of the Iowa Senate and was on the Iowa Development Commission. He also served on the Appropriations Committee for thirty years. In 1967, he procured $1 million for the Brushy Creek Project, a conservation and recreation area southeast of Fort Dodge.

Coleman served as president of the Iowa Soybean Association and was a charter member of the 520 Highway Association. He was a bank director of Bank of America in Fort Dodge. He was a member of Knights of Columbus.

C. Joseph Coleman was a Webster County Democrat. He served in the Senate for thirty-four years, from 1957 to 1990, during the 57th, 58th, 59th, 60th, 60th Extraordinary, 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 64th, 65th, 66th, 67th, 67th Extraordinary, 68th, 69th, 69th Extraordinary, 69th Second Extraordinary, 70th, 71st, 72nd, 72nd Extraordinary, 72nd Second Extraordinary, and 73rd General Assemblies.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE EIGHTIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF IOWA: That in the passing of the Honorable C. Joseph Coleman, 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.

JOHN P. KIBBIE

DAVID JOHNSON

E. THURMAN GASKILL

Committee