Married his high school sweetheart. Involved in manual labor, didnt really have any skills. Hated manual labor, hated having a boss. Bill knapp loves being his own boss and really didnt like being told what to do. Tried a restaurant. He thought if i owned a restaurant, i could be my own boss, and it was true. He bought a building with a restaurant in allerton, but he soon realized a restaurant was too much work. So bill and irene, his wife, put the building up on the market. A Real Estate Agent listed it and had a client to see the building, but the Real Estate Agent couldnt show the building, so he asked bill if he could show his own building, and so bill said, okay. Bill took the client down to allerton, sold the building and then was mad the Real Estate Agent demanded his commission. Bill said, hell, i sold the building. Knapp said, im going into real estate, i can do this. He fell into real estate, joined a small firm here in des moines coulded hollis realty. Quickly became the biggest Real Estate Agent for that company. And then when the owner couldnt pay his commissions, the owner gave bill the company. Bill renamed it iowa realty in 1952 and with built that company into the Largest Real Estate Company in iowa. Bill knapp is the best deal maker there is. Hes in his late 80s, and he continues to close deals. Theres no separation for bill from business and social life. Its all one life. I was at a Christmas Party that bill knapp gives every year, and i was one of the last to leave; and i was walking out trying to say thank you to bill. And jerry nugent, who is the chief operating officer for Knapp Properties now, was thanking bill and saying thank you for the party, great party. How many deals did you close at the party . And bill said, only three. Its typical bill knapp. Bill knapp closes deals. Bill was a democrat from early on. His tower was a democrat. Bill his father was a democrat. Bill inherited that political angle from his father, i guess. But bill becomes probably the most influential democrat in the state of iowa from the mid 60s on. Hes a must see for anybody whos trying to raise money for democratic politics, still is today. Harold hughes is, comes from a rough and tumble background as well. He grows up relatively poor, hes a trucker. He gets into politics. He runs for governor in 1962. Its that year or maybe in 61 that bill and hughes meet. Bill had seen him begin to campaign for governor, was impressed with him, had hughes came by and made a donation, and they became fast friends after that donation. Once hughes is elected, he will serve two terms as governor and then he serves one term in the u. S. Senate from iowa. Bill knapp was one of his closest friends and advisers. Harold houston was governor when the inter hughes was governor when the interstates were being built through iowa, and many people noticed that bill knapp had land along interstate exits and entrances. Which, it did not work out because information came out about that he was involved with seances and talking with the dead which pretty much summed his president ial aspirations. His rivals will say that he works very, very hard. They might characterize him as crass, but they would have respect for belknap. Again, some would say that they were behind closed doors deals and such. I do not think that was true, but critics might pick up on some of the under handedness. But for the most part he garnered a lot of respect from the community. For more information on book tv recent visit to denmark and the many other cities visited by our local content vehicle go to cspan. Org local content. You are watching book tv on