Russell L. Wyckoff (2 March 1925 – 3 September 2004) was an American politician. Wyckoff was born near

Urbana, Iowa Urbana is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,554 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Urbana (previously known as Hoosier Point and Marysville) was ...

, where his family owned a farm, on 2 March 1925. He graduated from high school in 1942 and enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He saw action with Company L of the 87th Infantry Division in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

. During his military service, Wyckoff was awarded the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

and the

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of ei ...

. He was discharged in 1945 with the rank of staff sergeant. Wyckoff subsequently returned to farming, and married Margie Ploeger in 1946. The couple raised four sons and lived in Vinton. During the 1950s, Wyckoff operated a plumbing and heating business. Wyckoff's political career included a five-year stint on the Urbana Consolidated School Board, and one term on the Benton County Board of Supervisors. He won election to the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

for the first time in 1970, and held the

District 42 District 42 may refer to: * California's 42nd congressional district * Maryland Legislative District 42 * Pennsylvania Senate, District 42 * Texas's 42nd House of Representatives district * School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School Di ...

seat as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

for two years. Wyckoff was elected thrice thereafter to represent

District 31 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

, stepping down at the end of his fourth consecutive term in 1979. He died on 3 September 2004, aged 79. Margie Wyckoff died in 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyckoff, Russell 20th-century American politicians Farmers from Iowa United States Army personnel of World War II Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives 1925 births 2004 deaths American plumbers People from Vinton, Iowa School board members in Iowa County supervisors in Iowa Military personnel from Iowa