Wallace E. Ogg was born near Monroe, Iowa on September 18, 1908. He earned a B.S. (1931) and an M.S. (1944) in agricultural engineering from Iowa State College (University). He also earned an M.A. (1948) and Ph.D. (1949) in agricultural economics from the University of Chicago.



Ogg farmed (1931 -1935) with his father near Monroe, Iowa, when he was hired by Iowa State College (University) as an Assistant Emergency Drought Relief Director. In 1935, he became the County Extension Director in Davis County. The Second World War briefly interrupted his career with the Extension Service when Ogg served as a Lieutenant in the Navy (1944-1946). Following the war, he served Iowa State as an Extension Assistant Professor of Economics (1946-1987), an Extension Associate Professor (1949-1952), and as a Professor (1952-1974). In 1960, his title changed to Professor of Agricultural Economics. Ogg became a public affairs specialist (1950-1987), and he developed programs to help farmers better understand and use government programs. He was among the first in the Extension Service to use television and public forums to promote awareness. In 1972, Ogg received a Fullbright grant to Australia, where he served as a lecturer and consultant at the University of Sidney. While there, he trained workers for an adult education program in agricultural policy. Ogg retired in 1974 and became a Professor Emeritus of Economics in 1984.



Ogg was a member of several professional, social, and religious organizations, including Phi Kappa Phi, the American Agricultural Economics Association, the American Economics Association, the Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship, Epsilon Sigma Phi, and Kiwanis.



He married Charlotte in 1934, and they had three children, Beverley, Nancy, and Clay. Charlotte passed away in 1953. In 1956, he married Edna Mundt, a Professor of Home Economics Education at Iowa State. Wallace Ogg died November 13, 1992.