SONJA LARSEN (1941- )
PAPERS, 1977-1982
1 linear foot plus audiovisual materials and artifacts
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no.645) were donated by
Sonja Larsen in 1999. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open
for research. |
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AUDIOVISUAL: |
One audiocassette located in audiocassette collection [AC883]. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright held by the donor has been transferred
to the |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Emily Broeckling, 2003 [LarsenSonja.doc]. |
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Biography
Sonja Leistad
Larsen, state representative from 1979-1980, board member of the Iowa League of
Women Voters and mayoral candidate for the city of Ottumwa, was born in 1941 to
Einar and Marie Leistad in
Elk Horn, Iowa. Sonja Leistad graduated from Elk Horn-Kimballton
Schools in 1959. In 1960, she married
Richard Larsen, and the couple moved to
Larsen worked as a real estate agent
from 1973-1980. She served on the
Ottumwa Board of Realtors, where she became active in lobbying efforts through
the Legislative Action committee. As a
member of the Ottumwa Chamber of Commerce, Larsen served on the urban-rural
development committee, chairing special projects such as Ag Day. Larsen also became the first president of the
Ottumwa League of Women Voters. Other
community activities include serving as first president of the Ottumwa Girls
Softball League, president of the Ottumwa Newcomers Club, executive board
member of the Iowa Junior Miss Development Corporation, program director for
the YMCA, and volunteering with the
Larsen was recruited to run for
office by Governor Robert Ray. Her
previous political experience was limited to serving as a delegate at county,
district and state Republican conventions.
In 1979, Larsen was elected by a small margin to represent the 89th
district of Iowa, a district heavily dominated by Democrats. During her tenure as a Republican
representative in the state legislature, Larsen distinguished herself as a
staunch supporter of lower state taxes.
Larsen sponsored bills designed to reimburse elderly Iowans for property
taxes, develop veteran exemptions from property taxes, push for the adoption of
a balanced budget amendment to the U. S. constitution, establish group
insurance for families of public employees, reduce mobile home taxes for the
elderly, and require private agencies receiving state grants or contracts to
submit to an audit prior to receipt of those funds. She also supported the 1979 “indexed” income
tax adjustment that was designed to be responsive to inflation rates, a bill to
increase the pay of elected officials, efforts to increase exemptions from the
state inheritance tax, and a reduction in unemployment compensation. Larsen supported efforts to put the Equal Rights
Amendment on the ballot and was pro-choice, despite her identity as a loyal
Republican.
In 1981, Larsen campaigned
unsuccessfully for mayor of
Scope and Content Note
The Sonja Larsen papers date from 1977 to 1982 and measure 1 linear foot. The papers are arranged in five series: Political campaigns, Political career, Post-political
career, Photographs, and Artifacts.
The Political
campaigns series comprises Larsen’s campaigns for state representative and
her campaign for mayor of
The Political
career series spans Larsen’s tenure as an elected official, dating from
1977-1982. This series includes
literature relating to Larsen’s position on proposed legislation, particularly
on issues such as abortion, education, creationism, the ERA, and conservation
of natural resources. The series also
comprises constituent contact records, the text of proposed legislation for
which Larsen was a sponsor, a legislative handbook, newsletters, newspaper
clippings, press releases and speeches.
The Post-political career series dates from 1981-1982 and includes
correspondence relating to Larsen’s electoral defeat in 1980 and continued
involvement in politics through her editorship of the Wapello County Republican News, as well as newspaper clippings.
The Photographs series dates from the late 1970s and consists primarily
of campaign photographs and shots of Larsen at speaking engagements.
The Artifacts series includes campaign materials, nametags, and a guest
book from a 1978 fundraiser.
Related Collections
A
Political Dialogue:
Box no. Description
Political
campaigns
Analysis, 1980
Brochures, undated
Campaign plan, 1980
Correspondence
1978
1980 and undated
Finances, 1978 and 1980-1981
Handbook, 1979-1980
Newspaper clippings, 1981
Official campaign documents, 1977-1981
Publicity, 1977-1978 and undated
Speeches, undated
Supporters, 1978 and 1980
Political
career
Abortion, 1978-1979 and
undated
Bike paths, 1979
Constituents, 1979-1980
Correspondence
1977-1979
1980 and undated
Creationism, 1977-1979
Education, 1978-1979
Equal Rights Amendment, 1976 and
1979-1980
House joint subcommittee on forestry,
1974 and 1978-1980
House Republican news, 1981
League of Women Voters
1979-1981
1982
Legislation, 1979-1980
Legislative handbook, 1972 and 1979
Miscellaneous, undated
Newsletters, 1980-1981
Newspaper clippings
1978
1979
1980
Undated
Pilot project, 1979-1980
Pre-audit bill, 1979
Press releases, 1980
Speeches, 1980 and undated
Post-political
career
Correspondence, 1981
Newspaper clippings, 1981-1982
Photographs
Circa late 1970s
Artifacts
Bumper stickers
Includes:
“
“Elect Sonja Larsen”
Campaign pin and nametags
Child’s campaign t-shirt
Felt campaign flag
Guest book, 1978-1980