Sonja Lillian Egenes (née Carlsen;[1] October 19, 1930 – November 27, 1984)[1] was an American politician who served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1971 to 1983.
[2][3] Egenes was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to Norway.
[4] For 5 years, she worked as a teacher at Randall High School in Randall, Iowa; followed by serving as a teacher of American government at Iowa State University in Ames, from 1960 to 1961.
[2][4] In 1962, her political career began as a Congressional candidate, she was a member of the Republican Party.
In 1979, Egenes proposed the state of Iowa to cut off student aid to Iranians on the 34 campuses in the state, which would expel them during the Iranian Revolution.