Lorne R. Worthington

Lorne R. Worthington
Iowa Insurance Commissioner
In office
1966–1971
GovernorHarold Hughes
Robert D. Fulton
Robert D. Ray
28th Iowa State Auditor
In office
January 2, 1965 – January 1, 1967
GovernorHarold Hughes
Preceded byC. B. Akers
Succeeded byLloyd R. Smith
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives
In office
January 14, 1962 – January 10, 1965
Personal details
Born
Lorne R. Worthington

(1938-06-14)June 14, 1938
Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
DiedAugust 21, 1999(1999-08-21) (aged 61)
New York City, New York
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Veneta Snethen
(m. 1959; div. 1982)
Children7
EducationUniversity of Iowa
Graceland College (BA)

Lorne R. Worthington (June 14, 1938 – August 21, 1999) was the Iowa State Auditor from 1965 to 1967.[1][2][3]

Early life

Worthington was born, to Paul and Alice Worthington, in 1938 in Penticton.[1][2]

He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1956.[4] He attended the University of Iowa, majoring in accounting, and later Graceland College, where he received a bachelor's in business administration, with cum laude honors in May 1964.[1]

Political career

Worthington was elected in 1962 to the Iowa House in district 6, covering Decatur County.[1][2][3] He was one of the youngest State legislators ever to serve.[2][3]

State Auditor

In 1964, Worthington ran against incumbent C. B. Akers for Iowa State Auditor.[5] Worthington won 609,932 votes against Akers' 493,396 votes.[5] He was sworn in on January 2, 1965.[6] He served from 1965 to 1967.[1][2][3]

He ran for re-election in 1966, against Republicans Rex McMahill,[7] C. W. Ward,[8] and Independent Lloyd R. Smith. Ward had been fired by Worthington on the same day he announced his ambition to run for the office.[8] Smith won the election with 442,063 votes against Worthington's 398,577 votes.[9]

Insurance Commissioner

He was appointed as Insurance Commissioner by Governor Harold Hughes, serving in that position from 1966 to 1971.[1][2][3]

Personal life

He married Verna Snethen on May 30, 1959, and together they had 4 daughters and 3 sons.[1][2][3] They divorced on February 16, 1982.[10]

In 1973, he became the President and CEO of Preferred Risk Mutual Insurance Company until 1982.[3] He then became the Executive Vice President of New Hampshire Insurance, Managing director of Seabury and Smith, and CEO of Vector Market and Research.[3]

He was also an elder of the RLDS Church.[1]

He died on August 21, 1999 of cancer in New York City.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Lorne R. Worthington" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. 1966. p. 9. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Representative Lorne R. Worthington". Iowa House of Representatives. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Worthington dies, former state auditor". The Des Moines Register. August 26, 1999. p. 17. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  4. ^ "Lorne R. Worthington". Iowa General Assembly. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "General Election 1964-State Auditor" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. 1966. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  6. ^ "Sworn in". The Des Moines Tribune. January 4, 1965. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  7. ^ "McMahill Joins Race for Auditor". The Des Moines Tribune. May 19, 1966. p. 21. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Ward in Iowa GOP Auditor Race". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. April 5, 1966. p. 2. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  9. ^ "Age and Experience". The Daily Nonpareil. November 10, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  10. ^ "Worthingtons granted marriage dissolution". The Des Moines Tribune. February 16, 1982. p. 4. Retrieved July 3, 2025.