History for Lunch: Crusading Iowa Journalist Verne Marshall

Published: March 8, 2018, 10 a.m.

On December 12, 1934, police raided a canning factory in Cedar Rapids, uncovering an illegal liquor and gambling set-up. Sensing a bigger story, Cedar Rapids Gazette editor Verne Marshall's investigative reporting led to multiple resignations, nearly 50 indictments, and the trial of the state's attorney general. This exposure of widespread corruption earned Marshall and the Gazette the 1936 Pulitzer Prize.

Author Jerry Harrington will discuss a few highlights from his research at the State Historical Society of Iowa, as well as the challenges he overcame to publish his findings in a groundbreaking book.

Harrington recently retired as marketing public relations manager for DuPont Pioneer. He received his B.S.S. from Cornell College in English and political science and an M.A. in history from the University of Iowa. He is now working on a biography of Iowa Governor and U.S. Senator Harold E. Hughes.

For more information about the State Historical Society of Iowa, visit their website at https://iowaculture.gov/history/.