Instagram/Chuck Grassley Barbara Grassley is the wife of Chuck Grassley, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Barbara Grassley is the wife of Chuck Grassley, the current Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Chuck and Barbara Grassley have been married for several decades.
Barbara and Chuck Grassley have been married for 64 years. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Barbara Grassley Grew Up in Rural Iowa
According to Iowa State University, Barbara Grassley was born in October of 1932 and attended one-room rural schools in the area of Chickasaw County, Iowa. Grassley graduated from New Hampton High School and then went on to work as a secretary at a packing company in Waterloo, Iowa.
2. Barbara & Chuck Grassley Were Married in 1954 in Nashua, Iowa
Barbara and Chuck Grassley were married when Barbara was 22 years old, at the Little Brown Church near Nashua, Iowa. After marrying Chuck, Barbara then went on to enroll in college at the University of Northern Iowa. Though she had to take time off sporadically for her husband’s political career, Barbara Grassley graduated with a degree in accounting in 1983.
3. Barbara & Chuck Grassley Have Five Children, Nine Grandchildren & Eight Great-Grandchildren
Barbara and Chuck Grassley have amassed a large family tree to carry on their legacy, with five children (Robin, Michele, Jay, Lee, and Wendy), nine grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Barbara is now 86 years old.
4. Barbara Grassley Is a 28-Year Breast Cancer Survivor
Barbara Grassley is a breast cancer survivor who had life-saving surgery in 1987. Of his wife’s battle with cancer, Chuck Grassley said in an interview with the American Association for Cancer Research, “My wife Barbara is a breast cancer survivor. Diagnosed 30 years ago, our family was stopped in its tracks when her primary care doctor discovered a lump in each breast during a wellness exam. Just a few years prior to her cancer diagnosis, Barbara had returned to college and the workplace, after taking a hiatus to be at home to raise our five children. She was starting a new chapter in life, and now life was writing an unexpected plot twist. She handled the news with the courage, grit and no-nonsense manner I have cherished for the past 63 years of marriage. As Barbara says, ‘When life knocks you down, faith and family keep me marching onward and upward.’ An incision biopsy revealed a malignant tumor in her left breast.”
Grassley continued, “Barbara credits early detection for saving her life and has made advocacy, education and outreach a personal campaign to help save more lives. That plot twist that made our hearts skip a few beats three decades ago opened another chapter for Barbara and myself. We are committed to help raise awareness regarding early detection, wellness and cancer prevention.”
5. Barbara Grassley Is a Member of the Executive Committee of Congressional Families for Cancer Prevention
Barbara Grassley is a member of the Executive Committee of Congressional Families for Cancer Prevention. She is also a member of The Congressional Club and the Senate Spouses club.
