Chuck Grassley
RepublicanU.S. Senator, IA| Age | 92 (b. 1933-09-17) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 1975-01-14 (~51 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White (German, with reported Welsh and French Huguenot ancestry) |
| Religion | Christian (Baptist) |
| Education | BA (1955) and MA in political science (1956) from Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa); pursued but did not complete a PhD in political science at the University of Iowa |
| Prior occupation | Farmer; factory/assembly line worker (Waterloo Register Company, 1961-1971); high school teacher (Charles City College, 1967-1968) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | New Hartford, Iowa |
| Marital status | Married — Barbara Ann Speicher |
| Children | 5 |
| Residence | New Hartford, Iowa (also maintains a residence in Washington, D.C.) |
| Notable relatives | Grandson Pat Grassley, Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1980 (U.S. Senate); first elected to public office in 1958 (Iowa House of Representatives) |
| Previous offices | Iowa House of Representatives (1959-1975) · U.S. House of Representatives, Iowa's 3rd district (1975-1981) |
| Committees | Judiciary (Chair) · Finance · Budget · Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry · Joint Committee on Taxation |
| Caucuses | Senate Republican Conference · Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control (Co-chair) · Senate Taiwan Caucus · Rare Disease Caucus |
| Leadership | President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate (2019-2021; 2025-present) · Dean of the U.S. Senate (since 2023) · Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee (2015-2019; 2025-present) · Chair, Senate Finance Committee (2003-2007; 2019-2021) · Chair, Senate Special Committee on Aging (1997-2001) |
| Party history | Republican throughout his political career; no party switches. |
| Ideology | Conservative Republican; received a 92% rating from the American Conservative Union for 2014 and an 82% score on the Heritage Action Scorecard for the 117th Congress. |
| Signature legislation | Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (primary author) · False Claims Act Amendments of 1986 (qui tam / whistleblower provisions) · Federal wind energy production tax credit (Energy Policy Act of 1992) · SECURE Act of 2019 (retirement provisions) · FBI Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (2016) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $3,290,000–$7,900,000 (2023) · estimate
| Columbia Dividend Income Fund Institutional Class (GSFTX) | fund · $250,001–$500,000 · 2023 |
| Agricultural real estate / family farmland, Butler County, Iowa | real_estate · 2023 |
Top donors: Insurance industry (aggregate) ($344,552 (2009-2014 cycles))
Top industries: Insurance · Agribusiness / ethanol (crop production & basic processing) · Securities & investment
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.