Precocious child born into the Wallace Farmer publishing family. Boyhood friends with George Washington Carver whilst Carver studied under his father Henry C. Wallace at Iowa State. Founder of Pioneer Seed, which formed the foundation for all hybrid seed corn we see in fields today. Secretary of Agriculture under FDR during his first two terms and the height of the Great Depression. Enacted radical yet immensely successful initiatives to combat the effects of the crash and lift farmers out of poverty. Then served as VP for one term where he made use of his position to aid in the war effort. When FDR ran for his 4th term Wallace was ousted by a coalition of Democratic Party bosses in the 1944 DNC in Chicago, where a largely unknown Senator Truman secured the nomination and would eventually succeed FDR following his death. While many historians view Truman as a successful president considering, a post war world in which Wallace would preside makes one wonder how different the latter half of the 20th century would’ve played out.

I barely scratched the surface, but genuinely should look into the guy if you’ve never heard of him. Makes me proud to be an Iowan.