SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Former Iowa congressman and businessman Berkley Bedell has died at age 98.
Tom Bedell says his father died Saturday after suffering a stroke earlier in the week.
Berkley Bedell represented northwest Iowa’s 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1987.
He also founded Pure Fishing, a fishing tackle business, based in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price and Fourth District Chair Penny Rosfjord said in a statement that Bedell fought hard to protect farm families in times of crisis and to help the middle class.
Former Iowa Senator Tom Harkin expressed his condolences:
Berkley was a true friend for 44 years. Berkley embodied in every way, both public and private, the essence of a good and decent and caring person. We sat side by side for 10 years on the House Agriculture Committee, and no one fought harder or cared more for the wellbeing of farm and rural families. He raised the specter of global warming long before it became widely acknowledged. In his 80’s and 90’s Berkley encouraged young people to get involved politically. He was a remarkable person who left a good example of a committed and caring citizen.
Fmr. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
