8 American Legends That Called Iowa Home

The legendary movie star John Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa. Marion Robert Morrison moved to Southern California as a child and became one of America's most famous actors by starring in countless Westerns.

Herbert Hoover was born in West Branch, Iowa. He was an engineer and a businessman before taking up politics and eventually serving as the 33rd President of the United States. He was a Quaker and prior to taking office he was Commission for Relief in Belgium, served as the director of the U.S. Food Administration, and served as the 3rd U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

Peggy Whitson is an Iowan astronaut who holds the record for the most spacewalks completed by a woman, with 10. She was also the commander of the International Space Station for Expedition 51. She was born in Mount Ayr, Iowa, and graduated from Iowa Wesleyan University.

Johnny Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, and spent his childhood years in Avoca, Clarinda, and Red Oak. He hosted the Tonight Show from 1962–1992 and became an American legend, and one of the most recognized TV personalities of all time.

Arabella Mansfield was the first female lawyer in the United States. Despite a restriction in Iowa that allows only men to take the bar exam, she passed with high marks in 1869. She took her case to the Iowa courts that year, and Iowa became the first state to grant women the right to practice law.

Mamie Doud was born in Boone, Iowa, and spent her childhood years in Cedar Rapids, before moving to Colorado. She met Dwight Eisenhower while wintering in San Antonio, and married him in 1916. She was a dedicated Army wife, and when Dwight Eisenhower was elected in 1953, she became the First Lady.