Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), 92, issued an emotional eulogy Saturday for “Beth” – a vintage Hoover vacuum cleaner that’s been used by his family for close to 50 years.
“U willl see Beth no more,” Grassley wrote in a social media post on X Saturday, alongside a photograph of the vacuum cleaner with a black-charred power cord. “See black that’s from electrical sparks. It’s not safe to use anymore. GOOD BYE BETH . U hv been a real workhorse. Ur namesake still is hard worker. I will miss u.”
The 92-year-old senator continued, proclaiming in a follow-up post that it was a “sad day at the Grassley household,” and that the vacuum cleaner – which appears to be a Hoover Concept Two, introduced in 1983 – had operated in his home for 34 years, and 15 years before that at his mother-in-law’s home.
Grassley has shared photographs and video of his Hoover vacuum cleaner for several years, and so much so that the news saw a number of GOP lawmakers send their condolences.
“Sorry for your loss,” wrote Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) in a social media post on X. “They don’t build them like they used to.”
“Sorry for your loss, Senator,” wrote Republican Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek in a social media post on X. “Sounds like Beth had a heck of a run.”
In 2021, Grassley revealed the origins behind the name of his vacuum, as well as why he prefers to vacuum during family gatherings.
“Thanksgiving Time Grassley clan gathers. Get out old reliable Beth,” he wrote in a social media post on X. “Called Beth bc of a reliable Atlantic family farmer/former staffer for me & Iowans. I vacuum bc I don’t want to be peeling potatoes.”
U willl see Beth no more See black that’s from electrical sparks. It’s not safe to use anymore. GOOD BYE BETH . U hv been a real workhorse. Ur namesake still is hard worker. I will miss u pic.twitter.com/Zu5dAtDyvZ
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) August 8, 2026