Thomas Joseph Tauke (born October 11, 1950) is an American politician, lawyer, and corporate executive from Iowa. He is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Tauke represented the northeast corner of the state of Iowa (2nd district) as a Republican from 1979 to 1991, entering Congress as one of the youngest members. Tauke left active politics in 1991 following an unsuccessful bid to unseat U.S. Senator Tom Harkin. [1] He has continued to establish himself as a leading voice and public policy advocate in the U.S. telecommunications industry. Jim Nussle followed him as the representative for northeast Iowa.