Thomas Cooper Evans (May 26, 1924 – December 22, 2005) was a three-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district. First elected to Congress in a close race amidst a Republican landslide, in a district that became less Republican through reapportionment, Evans defied expectations by winning re-election by increasingly large margins.
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Evans graduated from Grundy Center High School, Grundy Center, Iowa in 1942. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army, serving as infantryman from 1943 to 1946. After his discharge, he attended St. Andrews University in Scotland in 1948. He earned his B.S.
from Iowa State College in Ames, Iowa in 1949 and earned his M.S. in 1955. He graduated from Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in 1956.
He also served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Corps of Engineers from 1949 to 1965.
Evans served as president of Evans Farms, Inc. from 1965 to 1980 and served on the Grundy County Board of Property Tax Review from 1968 to 1974. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1975 to 1979. He was a delegate to the Iowa State Republican conventions from 1966 to 1978.
In 1980, three-term Republican Congressman Charles Grassley gave up his seat in Iowa's 3rd congressional district to launch a successful run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent John C. Culver. Evans won a four-way race for the Republican nomination to succeed Grassley, winning 45 percent of the primary vote. In a general election in which Ronald Reagan and Grassley won landslide victories, Evans won a narrow victory in his historically Republican district, defeating Democrat Lynn Cutler by only four percentage points.In Evans' first year in Congress, the Iowa Legislature was required to reapportion Iowa's congressional districts. The state's non-partisan Legislative Service Bureau produced two plans that were rejected by legislators, but its third plan removed six traditionally Republican counties from Evans' district while adding historically Democratic Johnson County, home of the University of Iowa. Pundits observed that the third plan, if adopted, "will probably make it much more difficult for Republicans to win in that district." An effort by Evans' supporters in the Legislature to amend the third plan to preserve its Republican character failed and it took effect upon the governor's signature.
In the 1982 general election, Evans again faced Cutler and was considered one of the most vulnerable freshman Republicans. However, despite redistricting and a minor national Democratic comeback, Evans handily defeated Cutler, winning this time by over 20,000 votes. Two years later, Evans won re-election by an even greater margin, receiving over 60 percent of the vote defeating Democrat Joe Johnston.
In January 1986, Evans announced he would not seek a fourth term, but would return to Iowa to farm. In all, he served from January 3, 1981 to January 3, 1987.
Evans died December 22, 2005, at the age of 81, in Grundy Center, Iowa, and was interred in Rose Hill Cemetery there.
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Some of their strengths
T. Cooper Evans has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intelligent, Energetic, Charming, Imaginative, Innovative, Practical, and Intense.
Charming and Quick-witted
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, T. Cooper Evans is someone who is a charming, quick-witted, and energetic person who combines passion and intelligence with an ability to feel what others are feeling and to effectively communicate with them. A person who seems to identify with family, heritage and ancestry.
Adaptable and Versatile
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know T. Cooper Evans well know them as someone who can be adaptable, flexible, and polite, like a flower or a sapling.
Altruistic and Innovative
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe T. Cooper Evans as someone who is altruistic, inventive, energetic, and socially-conscious.
Who is inventive, open-minded and inquisitive, optimistic and cooperative, and who loves working together with others.
Dynamic and Imaginative
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, T. Cooper Evans is someone who can bring a purifying element to situations, and who is a risk-taker with vision and imagination.
They are also someone who is creative, expressive, and insightful, and who has a pioneering spirit with self-determination and natural artistic expression.
Logical and Reasonable
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, T. Cooper Evans tends to be someone who is understanding, logical, and reasonable. Who can be intellectual and intuitive, speak the truth at any cost, be witty and sociable, and live life to its fullest.
Some of T. Cooper Evans's challenges
While T. Cooper Evans has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, T. Cooper Evans can be Hypocritical, Self-centered, Indecisive, Unrealistic, Anxious, Inflexible, and Irritable.
Hypocritical and Self-centered
One of T. Cooper Evans's key challenges is that they are someone who can be perceived as hypocritical and self-centered.
T. Cooper Evans must also exercise caution as they can have a hard time reconciling wants and needs.
Anxious and Inflexible
T. Cooper Evans is someone who can be high-strung, impatient, and inflexible, who can be "penny wise and pound foolish", have poor listening skills, and who can be intolerant of people who share a different world view.
Indecisive and Distracted
Finally, T. Cooper Evans also can have a hard time staying focused and can easily become restless.
