Dale M. Cochran

Dale M. Cochran (November 20, 1928 – August 27, 2018) was an American politician from the state of Iowa.

Career Dale Melvin Cochran was born at 820 N 15th St in Fort Dodge, Iowa on 20 November 1928. His mother, Gladys Sophia Fibiker, was born to Iowans of Czech ancestry. Gladys' grandparents were born in Česká Třebová, Tisová, Sokoleč, and Nová Ves I respectively.

Cochran attended Iowa State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree, and is a former farmer. In June 1952, he married in Ankeny to Rose Jeannene Hirsch (1930-2021), and has three children. His daughter, Cindy, married Rep. John Forbes.

Cochran served as a Democrat in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1965 to 1987. He served district 62 from 1965 to 1973, district 45 from 1973 to 1983, and district 14 from 1983 to 1987. He was Minority Floor Leader from 1971 to 1974, Assistant Minority Leader from 1981 to 1982, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee from 1983 to 1984, and Speaker of the House from 1975 to 1978. From 1987 to 1998, he served as the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. He died in 2018 at the age of 89. He was interred at North Lawn Cemetery.