Ilo Wallace (née Browne; March 10, 1888 – February 22, 1981) was the wife of Henry A. Wallace, the 33rd vice president of the United States. She was the second lady of the United States from 1941 until 1945. She was the sponsor of the battleship USS Iowa.[1]

Ilo Wallace
Second Lady of the United States
In role
January 20, 1941 – January 20, 1945
Vice PresidentHenry A. Wallace
Preceded byMariette Garner
Succeeded byBess Truman
Personal details
Born
Ilo Browne

(1888-03-10)March 10, 1888
Indianola, Iowa, U.S.
DiedFebruary 22, 1981(1981-02-22) (aged 92)
South Salem, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1914; died 1965)
Children3
Education

Born in Indianola, Iowa, she was the daughter of James Lytle Browne and his wife, the former Harriet Lindsay.

She attended Simpson College before transferring to study voice at Drake University.[1]

She married Henry Agard Wallace in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 20, 1914.[2] They had three children: Henry Browne Wallace (1915–2005), Robert Browne Wallace (1918–2002), and Jean Browne Wallace (1920–2011).[1] Her husband later became the editor-in-chief of Wallace's Farmer, an influential Midwestern farming magazine that had been founded by his father, Henry Cantwell Wallace, who was the United States secretary of agriculture from 1921 to 1924.

A small inheritance she received from her parents enabled the Wallaces and their business partners to establish, in 1926, the Hi-Bred Corn Company,[3][4] which developed and distributed hybrid corn and eventually transformed agriculture.

On February 22, 1981, aged 92, she died at the Wallace estate, Farvue Farm,[5] in South Salem, New York. Her funeral was private at her family's request.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Saxon, Wolfgang (February 25, 1981). "Ilo Browne Wallace, 92, Widow of a Vice President to Roosevelt". The New York Times. p. B6 (National Edition). Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Ilo Browne Wallace; Ilo Browne Wallace – The Wallace Centers of Iowa". The Wallace Centers of Iowa. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Ilo Browne Wallace; The Wallace Centers of Iowa". The Wallace Centers of Iowa. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  4. ^ "A Brief Summary of Pioneer History on the 90th Year of Its Foundation". U.S.–Ukraine Business Council. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  5. ^ Wallace, Kevin (August 13, 1960). "Where Are they Now? Henry Agard Wallace". The New Yorker. p. 60. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
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Honorary titles
Preceded by Second Lady of the United States
1941–1945
Succeeded by