State Nickname of Iowa
The Hawkeye State
IA is the Two-letter or Postal Abbreviation and Iowa is the Traditional or Standard Abbreviation for the State of Iowa. The “Hawkeye State”
was first suggested as the nickname of Iowa by James G. Edwards as a tribute to Native American warrior Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk tribe. It became the official nickname in 1838.
It is said that Edwards’ friend, Burlington judge, David Rorer, suggested the nickname based on a character in The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.