About Senator Horn

Wally Horn was elected in 2010 to his ninth term in the Iowa Senate, after serving  five terms in the Iowa House of Representatives. He represents Senate District 17, which includes the northwest and southwest portions of Cedar Rapids.

Senator Horn is an Assistant Senate Majority Leader and chair of the Labor & Business Relations and Administration Rules Review Committees. He also serves on the Economic Growth, Judiciary, State Government, and Veterans Affairs committees, as well as the Education Budget Subcommittee.

Wally was Senate Majority Leader from 1992 to 1996. In 1995, President Bill Clinton accepted his invitation to address the Iowa Legislature, the first time a President has spoken in the Senate Chamber.

Wally has participated in many national leadership conferences and overseas exchange programs, including a legislative delegation to Russia and he lead  a National Conference of State Legislature's delegation to Japan and to Italy. He has served on the NCSL Executive Board for 15 years and still serves on the the Council State Government and the Midwest Legislature's Executive Board. He is also a  member of the executive committee for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.  

Wally was a high school teacher, coach, and information facilitator for Cedar Rapids schools for more than 30 years before his retirement. He previously taught and coached in the Washington and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock school districts.

A native of Bloomfield, Wally graduated from Bloomfield High School, served in the U.S. Army and earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Truman State University in Missouri.  He has done additional graduate studies at the University of Iowa and Texas A&M.

Wally is active in the Cedar Rapids community, where he serves on the boards for several professional and civic organizations, including the Community Correction Board and the Elks and Moose Lodges. He also belongs to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is married to Phyllis Peterson and has two children and six grandchildren.