by Megan Klein-Hewett

If you’ve lived in Iowa for any amount of time you probably know the last name Harkin. When you hear it, you probably think of Tom Harkin, long-time Senator from Iowa. Did you know that it was his wife, Ruth, who was the first in their family to run for office? She not only ran for, but won, the seat of Story County attorney in 1973, making her one of the first female prosecutors elected in the United States.

Ames Public Library, the Iowa Center for the Book, the Ames Writers Collective, and KHOI Community Radio are thrilled to host Ruth Harkin in presenting her new book, “When My Husband Ran for President and Other Short Stories,” in the Library’s Auditorium—and online via Zoom—on November 12 at 7 pm. Books will be available for sale on site through Ice Cube Press.

Ruth’s new short story collection shares her incredible life and legacy through endearing prose. Harkin’s memories show a life of adventure and risk taking. From moving to Korea after college, to serving as a deputy counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to later serving as a Director of ConocoPhillips, Ruth’s career was full of big moves and risks. Harkin was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018.

During her impressive professional career, Ruth also raised two daughters and supported her husband’s political career. As the book’s title suggests, Tom’s political career played a big part in Ruth’s life as well. Senator Harkin’s 1992 presidential bid came with its own challenges that impacted the whole family, and Ruth reflects upon that time in the book.

Long-time Iowa journalist Robert Leonard wrote in the “Iowa Capital Dispatch,” “Ruth started to write this book for her family and friends. But it’s a bigger book than that. It’s an important memoir by a pathbreaking Iowa woman who never stepped away from a challenge and did her best to make a difference with her career, with her family, and by inspiring others.” The stories in her book prove over and over again that Ruth’s work impacted not only her family, but also other women and Iowans.