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Encyclopedia Dubuque

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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.




BLOUIN, Michael

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Michael Blouin
Image courtesy: Mike Day

BLOUIN, Michael. (Jacksonville, FL, Nov. 7, 1945- ). Blouin graduated from LORAS COLLEGE in 1966 and taught at the elementary level in Dubuque before working as an advertising consultant. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives in 1968 and 1970 and in the Iowa Senate in 1972. He was elected to the 94th and 95th Congresses (January 3, 1975, though January 3, 1979) making him Dubuque's first citizen in sixty years to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was one of eight House members to participate in a British-American conference in London in 1975 and served on the Science and Technology Committee.

On November 21,1977, Republican State Representative Thomas TAUKE announced he would challenge Blouin for Iowa's Second District seat. This established the first intra-city election battle since the 1848 election saw George Wallace JONES campaign against Thomas S. WILSON. In an upset, Tauke defeated Blouin in November 1978, by winning in ten of the eleven counties in the district.

In 1979 Blouin was appointed by the Carter Administration to be Director of Information and Security Oversight, dealing with worldwide classified information. He took leave to help in the Iowa and Maine caucuses, and then returned to Washington as Assistant Director of the Community Services Administration.

Mike returned to Iowa in 1981 and worked six years for Kirkwood Community College as Director of Grants and Governmental Regulations, responding to needs for workforce development. He then worked from 1987-1999 with the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. He moved to Des Moines and from 1999-2003 served as CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. In January 2003, Blouin was named director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development by Governor Tom Vilsack.

In 2007 Blouin was recruited to become president of the GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. He was instrumental in community development including attracting IBM to the city in 2008. Blouin retired in 2012.

Both of the Blouins were inducted into the Dubuque County Democrats Hall of Fame in 2012.

See: Suzanne BLOUIN

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Source:

Dubuque County Democrats. Online: http://www.dbqdemocrats.org/halloffameinductees.php#CarolineKoppes