Funeral set for first female lieutenant governor of Iowa

DES MOINES — The funeral for former Iowa Lieutenant Governor Jo Ann Zimmerman is set for late tomorrow morning in Des Moines.

Zimmerman was the last independently elected lieutenant governor and the first woman to hold the office. She ran for governor in 1990, but ended her campaign and became Democratic gubernatorial nominee Don Avenson’s running mate. That was the first election nominees for governor and lieutenant governor ran together as a team, as the president and vice president do.

Zimmerman, the first nurse elected to the Iowa legislature, was also the co-founder of a group called DAWN to help Democratic women get elected to public office.

Zimmerman’s funeral will be held at the First Christian Church in Des Moines. A visitation with her family will held at the church today from 4-7 p.m.