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Posted February 1, 2007
James Wilson was the longest serving Secretary of Agriculture in history and one of five people with Iowa ties to serve in the role.

Wilson was born in Scotland on August 16, 1835 but immigrated to America with his family in 1852, first settling in Scotland and then moving to Iowa in 1855. His family farmed near Traer and in 1867, at the
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'Tama' Jim longest serving ag secretary
age of 32, he was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. He was Speaker of the House from 1870 to 1871 before becoming an agriculture professor at Iowa State University. Wilson was elected to Congress in 1873 and picked up the nickname “Tama Jim Wilson” to differentiate himself from Iowa Sen. James Wilson.

In 1897, he was granted a leave of absence from ISU to become Secretary of Agriculture under President William McKinley, a job he retained under presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. In all, he served as agriculture secretary from March 4, 1897 to March 3, 1913, the longest term ever served by a cabinet official.

Wilson is remembered as a progressive secretary, implementing new food inspection methods, most notably the inspection of meat. He also helped to introduce the food and drug act, encourages forest conservation, made up-to-date weather reports available to farmers, and created the weekly crop report. In addition, he introduced high-yielding Durum wheat and new varieties of alfalfa, as well as re-establishing Morgan horses, new breeds of poultry and a serum that prevented hog cholera.

At 78, he returned to Iowa and spent his last years with his children and grandchildren in Traer. He died at his home on Aug. 26, 1920, and is buried at Buckingham Cemetery in Traer.

Tama Jim Wilson was the longest serving cabinet member in U.S. history
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