A member of the Iowa House who has represented a district in the southeast corner of the state for the past four years has died.
Seventy-two-year-old Martin Graber of Fort Madison was first elected to the Iowa House in 2020. He served 32 years in the Iowa National Guard, rising to the rank of brigadier general by the time of his retirement. He won reelection to the House in 2024 with over 67 percent of the vote. House Speaker Pat Grassley says Graber’s legacy will be one of kindness, hard work, and service.
Governor Reynolds says she’s heartbroken at the loss. Graber is survived by his wife Coni, who he married 49 years ago, his daughters and his grandchildren. Graber was a southeast Iowa native who graduated from Central Lee High School. Graber earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 1976, a masters from St. Ambrose in 1987 and a 2nd masters from the U-S Army War College in 2002. House Speaker Pat Grassley recently appointed Graber to lead a new House committee, to take a deeper look at state accounts set aside for specific purposes as well as the block grants the federal government sends the State of Iowa. Graber had recently served on the Republican Party of Iowa’s State Central Committee and had been chair of the Lee County Republicans.
