Henry A. Wallace, an Iowan native, profoundly influenced agriculture across Iowa, the United States, and globally. His deep-rooted passion for the soil and farming was a cherished part of his family’s heritage. While a figure of public interest and sometimes controversy, one thing remained undeniable: Henry A. Wallace possessed an exceptional understanding of farming.
An Early Thirst for Knowledge
Born on October 8, 1888, on a farm near Orient, Iowa, in Adair County, Henry Agard Wallace emerged from one of Iowa’s most distinguished farming families. From a young age, his primary interests were science and farming. At eight, his family relocated to a farm on the outskirts of Des Moines. His daily responsibilities included milking cows and feeding chickens and other livestock. By ten, he cultivated his own garden, contributing food to the family table. Strawberries remained a lifelong favorite.
George Washington Carver played a pivotal role in shaping young Henry’s life. Their acquaintance began when Henry was six years old. Carver, then a student and colleague of Henry’s father at Iowa State College, was invited to the Wallace family home. Carver provided a scientific framework to Wallace’s inherent love for plants. He would often take young Henry on exploratory walks, collecting plant specimens from the fields surrounding Ames. He guided the boy in identifying plant species and their parts. In the greenhouse, Carver introduced Henry to the principles of plant breeding, engaging him in experiments with ailing plants and crop improvement techniques.
Pioneering Corn Hybridization
During his high school years, Henry embarked on corn experiments aimed at developing a hybrid variety capable of significantly increasing bushels per acre. Between 1910 and 1930, corn shows were a popular feature across Iowa. Farmers would enter their ten finest ears of corn, judged primarily on appearance, based on the prevailing belief that the best-looking corn equated to the highest yields. At sixteen, Wallace tested this assumption, comparing visually appealing, prize-winning corn against corn that was less aesthetically pleasing. His findings demonstrated that there was no correlation between the appearance of corn ears and their yield potential.
His college years ignited a fascination with genetics, a then-nascent science. Gifted in mathematics, he self-studied statistics, later becoming instrumental in introducing statistics as a subject at Iowa State. Wallace applied statistical analysis to understand the economic relationship between corn prices and pig farming.
After graduating from Iowa State in 1910, Wallace dedicated himself to corn-breeding experiments. By 1920, he was among the pioneering few in the nation who grasped the transformative potential of hybridization—creating new corn varieties by cross-breeding different strains. By 1924, Wallace had developed a high-yielding hybrid named Copper Cross. That year, Copper Cross made history as the first hybrid to win a gold medal at the Iowa Corn Yield Contest at Iowa State. This marked a significant milestone in the development of Pioneer Hi Bred Corn.
Bringing Hybrid Corn to Farmers
Henry A.’s grandfather, “Uncle Henry” Wallace, founded the influential weekly publication Wallaces’ Farmer. Henry A. took on the role of editor from 1921 to 1933. In this capacity, he championed the state corn yield contest, the annual corn husking contest, and the Master Farmer Awards. He also elevated Wallaces’ Farmer to become the nation’s most influential agricultural journal, using it as a platform to advocate for advancements in farming practices.
As editor, Wallace persistently wrote about the advantages of using hybrid seed corn. Although most farmers were initially unfamiliar with the concept, Wallace tirelessly explained its benefits. He never claimed to have invented hybrid seed corn, but he recognized its vast commercial potential and was determined to prove its value to the farming community.
However, a significant obstacle existed: there was no commercial source for farmers to purchase hybrid seed. In 1926, Wallace devised a plan to bridge this gap. He established the Hi-Bred Corn Company, which later became Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Company in 1935. This company became the world’s first and largest hybrid seed company, revolutionizing corn production. Wallace’s research during this period is recognized as one of the most impactful contributions to plant genetics between 1920 and 1940, laying the foundation for the future of pioneer hi bred corn.
The adoption of hybrid seed corn was initially slow. In 1933, only one percent of Iowa farmland was planted with hybrid varieties. However, within a decade, by 1943, this figure surged to almost one hundred percent. This widespread adoption directly correlated with a significant increase in corn yields, rising from 24.1 to 31 bushels per acre during the same period, demonstrating the profound impact of pioneer hi bred corn.
Serving Agriculture Nationally
From 1933 to 1940, Henry A. Wallace served as the Secretary of Agriculture, giving farmers a powerful voice in Washington. He was instrumental in shaping and implementing New Deal policies under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, focused on controlled production, soil conservation, and ensuring higher farm prices during the Great Depression. Wallace initiated the first food stamp plan and developed crop subsidy and soil conservation programs that would shape agricultural policy for decades. His commitment was evident in his first year, where he traveled 40,000 miles, visiting every state, delivering 88 speeches on agricultural issues, international trade, and related topics, alongside publishing 22 articles and three books.
Working as Vice President
In 1940, Wallace became Vice President under Franklin Roosevelt. He redefined the role, becoming the first “working” modern vice president. Previously, the vice president’s primary duty was presiding over the Senate. President Roosevelt appointed Wallace to head the Board of Economic Warfare, a crucial body supporting the U.S. war effort.
Wallace also served as a goodwill ambassador to Latin America, the Soviet Union, and China, significantly expanding the vice president’s role in foreign relations and executive branch operations.
In 1940, Wallace and his wife attended the Mexican presidential inauguration. Their extended six-week stay included an inspection of Mexico’s deteriorating agricultural conditions. Wallace’s urging led the Rockefeller Foundation to establish an experimental station aimed at improving Mexican agriculture. Iowan Norman Borlaug, later a Nobel laureate, was hired at this station, marking the beginning of Borlaug’s Green Revolution—a global initiative to combat hunger through agricultural advancements, indirectly stemming from Wallace’s early work with pioneer hi bred corn and his broader vision for agricultural improvement.
Despite his significant contributions, Wallace was not renominated as vice president in 1944, with Senator Harry Truman selected instead. When President Roosevelt passed away in April 1945, Truman became president. Had Wallace been renominated, he would have ascended to the presidency. Wallace briefly served as Secretary of Commerce in 1945-1946 before resigning from the cabinet.
Return to Agricultural Innovation
In 1948, Wallace ran for president on the Progressive Party ticket, garnering over a million popular votes but no electoral votes. He later distanced himself from the Progressive Party and retired from politics.
Upon leaving political office, Wallace returned to his passion for farming at his home in South Salem, New York. He dedicated his final years to running an experimental farm, revisiting his early love for plant variety development, including corn, strawberries, and gladioli. He also achieved remarkable success in chicken breeding. It was once said that “half of the egg-laying hens in the world were genetically related to Henry Wallace’s chickens.” He remained a scientist until his last days. Even when battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Wallace meticulously documented his condition, hoping it would aid scientific understanding of the disease. He passed away in 1965, leaving behind a towering legacy in agriculture, deeply rooted in his pioneering work with what became pioneer hi bred corn.
Legacy of Henry A. Wallace
Henry A. Wallace’s influence on American agriculture is enduring and multifaceted. He excelled as a scientist, agriculturalist, journalist, cabinet member, politician, author, economist, and statesman. In December 1999, the Des Moines Register recognized him as the “Most Influential Iowan of the 20th Century.” In 1966, he posthumously received the Iowa Award, the state’s highest honor, celebrating his exceptional leadership and lifelong contributions to his field.
Henry A. Wallace’s memory is preserved at various sites in Iowa. His birthplace farmstead in Adair County was dedicated as the Henry A. Wallace Country Life Center in 1996, ensuring his contributions, especially to the field of pioneer hi bred corn, continue to be recognized and celebrated for generations to come.
Source:
- Carolyn Hardesty, Ed., “Henry A., The Third Henry Wallace,” The Goldfinch 12, no. 3 (February 1991): 18-20.
