Senate

Grassley, wife Barbara mark 70th anniversary at favorite date spot

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and his wife Barbara marked their 70th wedding anniversary Thursday at their favorite date spot.

“Barbara & I went to the Hickory House in Waterloo when we were 1st dating 2nite we celebrate our 70th wedding anniversary where it all started,” Grassley said in a post on the social platform X.

Grassley shared a photo of himself and his wife holding hands outside the restaurant.

The 90-year-old senator and his wife married Aug. 22, 1954. They have five children.

Grassley was first elected to the Senate in 1980, defeating Democratic incumbent Sen. John Culver. He most recently defeated Democratic challenger Michael Franken in 2022.


Barbara Grassley is a longtime cancer screening advocate and breast cancer survivor. She was first diagnosed in 1987.

The couple have co-chaired the Health Awareness and Screening booth at the Iowa State Fair, the Prevent Cancer Foundation said.

Chuck Grassley has for years frequently posted candid messages on his social media account.

In 2010, the lawmaker’s wife told the Iowa Gazette that she doesn’t always appreciate her husband’s posts, especially when he pulls out his phone at church.

“I had to tell him to knock it off,” she said.