IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Groundbreaking pollster George Gallup may
be known for founding the survey organization that tracks
people's opinions on the president, but he began his career with
a more personal concern: getting his mother-in-law elected to
statewide office. Ola Babcock Miller was a huge underdog in the
1932 race for Iowa Secretary of State. Gallup conducted an
informal poll of voters for her and learned that highway safety
was a top concern. Miller campaigned successfully on the issue
and went on to found the Iowa State Patrol. That campaign is
recounted in a collection of papers that Gallup's family
recently donated to the University of Iowa documenting the life
of the father of modern political polling. The papers are
expected to be used by researchers studying early polling on
elections and marketing.