Harold Royce 'H. R.' Gross was an American politician and Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district, serving thirteen terms from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1975. Born on June 30, 1899, on his parents' farm near Arispe, Iowa, he grew up in a rural Midwestern environment and served in the military during the 1916 Mexican border campaign and World War I. After the war, he pursued journalism, working as a newspaper reporter and editor before transitioning to radio as a news commentator for WHO in Des Moines from 1935 to 1948, where he worked alongside future president Ronald Reagan. Gross became renowned for his staunch fiscal conservatism and relentless anti-spending stance, frequently objecting on the House floor to what he deemed wasteful projects, earning him the nickname 'the useful pest' from Time magazine. A delegate to the 1968 Republican National Convention, his influence extended through his advocacy for balanced budgets and limited government. He chose not to seek reelection in 1974 and was succeeded by Charles Grassley. Gross passed away on September 22, 1987, in Washington, D.C., with interment at Arlington National Cemetery.