Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. Her husband, Kevin Reynolds, has been by her side for nearly 40 years, as she’s worked her way up from local politics and into a prominent role in the Republican Party.
He’s Been Married To Kim Since 1982, And They Have Three Daughters
Sally’s is a must stop in Forest City! Kevin and I enjoying lunch w/ VP @Mike_Pence and @RandyFeenstra #OpeningUpAmericaAgain #KeepIowaMoving #FeenstraDelivers pic.twitter.com/0RLbmQrwJH
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) June 16, 2020
According to The Daily Nonpareil , Kevin Reynolds married Kim Strawn in 1982. In 38 years of marriage, they’ve had three children, all daughters — Nicole, Jennifer and Jessica.
Coming from a Midwestern state where agriculture is king, the land is in Kevin’s blood. As The Des Moines Register reported in 2018, not long before his wife was sworn in as governor of Iowa, Kevin had retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he’d spent the previous 36 years in soil conservation.
He even “farmed” the grounds of the governor’s mansion, as he recalled. He described the soil around the grounds of Terrace Hill as “decent,” describing it as better than that of Southern Iowa. He helped spread compost around the grounds of the mansion.
In fact, rumors were at one time circling around Des Moines that he had personally mowed the lawn at the home. Though that wasn’t true, he did plant, weed, and maintain vegetable gardens on the property. He canned the beets and green beans he grew — a skill he learned from his mother, Ramona, herself a passionate gardener.
“It gets in your blood,” he said of growing and preserving vegetables.
Indeed, Kevin was born and raised on a farm in Osceola, according to the Office of the Governor of Iowa website. He met Kim when he was in high school, and he later went on to get a degree in agronomy from Iowa State University.
He Relishes His Role As First Gentleman
Bless his heart!! Above and beyond. pic.twitter.com/GlBeCdRgSV
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) April 20, 2020
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kim, like millions of other women around the country, found herself unable to go to her hairstylist due to lockdown. Armed with scissors, her dutiful husband stepped up to the plate.
Stepping up has been what Kevin has done ever since his wife was sworn in. He is one of only a handful of first gentlemen across the country, and one of relatively few in American history — his wife calls him the “First Dude.” As such, Kevin finds himself doing ceremonial duties that have traditionally been performed by women, such as hosting visitors at the governor’s mansion.
For example, he hosted a Mother’s Day tea and did so with aplomb, according to his assistant, Diane Becker.
“The ladies loved him,” she said.
“It’s just having fun with people,” Kevin would say of the event.
Besides hosting teas, he’s also intimately involved with the Terrace Hill Partnership, an organization that helps pay for the upkeep of the historic mansion.
When he’s not hosting teas, farming vegetables, or managing the historic home of which he’s been given stewardship, he’s doing things that other men his age do. At the time of his profile in the Des Moines newspaper, he was planning a trip to Colorado to go elk hunting. And of course, with three adult daughters, he’s also got another matter on his plate that requires his attention.
“I get babysitting calls,” he said.
