The Iowa Gallup Award for
Excellent Journalism Using Polls
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George H. Gallup |
George Gallup and Iowa
George Horace Gallup was born Nov. 18, 1901 in Jefferson, IA and grew up on the family farm. In 1919, he enrolled in The University of Iowa where he played football and proceeded to earn his B.A. in 1923, his M.A. in 1925 and his Ph.D. in 1928. As editor of The Daily Iowan 1922-23, he wrote: "Doubt everything. Question everything. Be a radical!" He married Ophelia Smith Miller of Washington, IA on Dec. 27, 1925. They raised two sons, George and Alec, and one daughter. They raised a daughter and two sons (George III and Alec, both of whom were later involved in The Gallup Organization). Gallup was an instructor at The University of Iowa School of Journalism from 1924 to 1929. In 1926, he founded the Quill and Scroll Society, the international honorary society for high school journalists, which is still housed at The University of Iowa. In 1926, he founded the Quill and Scroll Society, the international honorary society for high school journalists, which is continues to serve 14,104 high schools chapters in all 50 states and 44 foreign countries from its home at The University of Iowa. His son George III has served on the Quill and Scroll Society board for years. He focused his doctoral thesis, "An Objective Method for Determining Reader Interest in the Content of a Newspaper," on developing better methods of surveying. From 1929 to 1931, Gallup headed the Drake University School of Journalism. After that, he taught at Northwestern University and conducted market research in the Chicago area. Market research remained the foundation of his career and financial success, even while Gallup explored public opinion in politics. In 1933, he moved to New York to work for advertising agency Young & Rubicon where he stayed for 16 years. In 1935, he founded the American Institute of Public Opinion. His innovative method of surveying was to use pollsters who personally talked to a selected sample of people chosen to represent the larger group, including all classes, races and regions. His company gained prominence in 1936 by correctly predicting the re-election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt by virtue of the Gallup Poll. Over the next 60 years, it grew to international proportion from the small Institute office in Princeton, NJ as The Gallup Organization.
In 1948, he was the first to be recognized in The University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication Hall of Fame. Gallup was featured on the cover of many magazines. He was honored with the Advertising Gold Medal Award in n1964 and AMA's Parlin Award in 1965. He was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1977. Gallup died of a heart attack on July 26, 1984, at age 83, at his summer home in Switzerland. His legacy lives on. Today, the name Gallup continues to stand for integrity and truth in representing public opinion.
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Copyright © 2009 School of Journalism & Mass Communication, The
University of Iowa. All rights reserved Updated February 15, 2009 |
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"Polling is merely an instrument for gauging public opinion. When a president or any other leader pays attention to poll results, he is, in effect, paying attention to the views of the people. Any other interpretation is nonsense," Gallup said.