Born on November 18, 1901, in the small community of Jefferson, Iowa, George Horace Gallup was the son of George Henry (a farmer) and Nettie (Davenport) Gallup. He attended the University of Iowa, earning his bachelor's degree in 1923. During his second year of undergraduate studies, his family suffered financial setbacks, forcing Gallup to seek funding from scholarships and a part-time job running a towel concession stand at the university swimming pool. During his junior year, he became the editor of the campus newspaper The Daily Iowan and, as the only newspaper in town, he widened its scope, increased its off-campus audience, and began running advertisements for community businesses.

Upon graduating from his undergraduate studies, Gallup remained at the University of Iowa as an instructor in journalism. At the same time, he began his graduate studies in psychology. He married Ophelia Smith Miller on December 27, 1925; they had three children: Alec Miller...