Thomas Lewis Fiegen (born October 2, 1958) is an American attorney and

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician. He served in the

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

from 2001 to 2003. He sought the Democratic nomination in the 2010 U.S. Senate election in Iowa but came in third against

Roxanne Conlin Roxanne Barton Conlin (born June 30, 1944) is an American lawyer who served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 1977 to 1981. A Democrat, she was a candidate for Governor of Iowa in 1982 and for United States Senate i ...

who won the primary, with Bob Krause coming in second. Fiegen again sought the Democratic nomination in the 2016 U.S. Senate election in Iowa, repeating his third-place showing. Fiegen endorsed

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

for President prior to Sanders' endorsement of fellow candidate

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

Early life and education

Fiegen was reared on a family farm in southeastern

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

as the eldest of eleven children. He worked on the family farm, raising cattle and hogs, until he graduated from high school; he then began taking classes at

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

while farming and launching a grain bin construction business with his brothers. In 1979, rather than continuing at SDSU, Fiegen went to work for the National Farmers Organization in West Fargo,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

. In 1980, he briefly worked for a South Dakota ethanol fuels company before returning to the NFO to work in grain merchandising. He also worked as an apprentice electrician before returning to collegiate study. Fiegen graduated from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

in 1984, majoring in speech and agricultural economics. He subsequently earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in economics and a J.D. degree, both from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

Career

He is a bankruptcy lawyer specializing in farms and small businesses; he has operated his own legal practice since 1996.

Family

Fiegen has four grown children, Maureen (33), Kathryn (31), Paul (28), and Theresa (25). All four of his children attended Iowa State University, and all but Maureen remain in Iowa.

References

External links

Campaign website
Living people Iowa lawyers Democratic Party Iowa state senators South Dakota State University alumni Kansas State University alumni University of Iowa alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni People from Mitchell, South Dakota People from Cedar County, Iowa 1958 births {{Iowa-politician-stub