Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
Bio:
Eric Schmitt grew up in Bridgeton, Missouri which sits in North St. Louis County in the shadow of the airport. Bridgeton is a working-class, blue-collar neighborhood, and he grew up in a working-class, blue-collar family. Eric is a sixth-generation Missourian, coming from a long line of farmers, teachers, and small business owners who have lived and worked in the Missouri cities of Tipton, Pilot Grove, Louisiana, and St. Louis. Eric’s grandfather served in the 7th Army during World War II and saw major combat as an infantryman. He returned from WWII with nothing more than an 8th-grade education and some money he won playing craps on the Queen Elizabeth coming back from the war. After WWII, Eric’s grandfather opened a butcher shop and started a family. Eric’s father worked his way through night school to provide for his family while earning a diploma. He watched his father work 7 days a week on the midnight shift at the Anheuser-Busch brewery to provide a better life for his family, an experience that taught him the value of a strong work ethic. Eric attended DeSmet Jesuit High School and went on to graduate cum laude from Truman State University where he founded a Habitat for Humanity chapter. After graduation, he attended law school at Saint Louis University where he received his J.D. and served as an editor of the Law Review. Eric’s love for the Constitution – the bedrock of America’s legal system – inspired him to teach a course on 21st Century American Civics at SLU after graduation. Eric and his wife Jaime have three children: Stephen, Sophia, and Olivia. Their son, Stephen, was born with a rare genetic condition causing tumors on his organs. He also has epilepsy, is on the autism spectrum, and is non-verbal. Stephen was Eric’s inspiration to run for public office so he could be a voice for individuals like Stephen and their families. As a matter of fact, one of Eric’s early legislative victories was taking on insurance companies by leading a bipartisan effort to ensure Missouri families are medically covered when they need it the most – including therapies for autism. Eric has served in various roles in Missouri’s state legislature, including State Senator, State Treasurer, and Attorney General. As Attorney General, Eric launched multiple major initiatives to make Missouri safer.
In his first month in office, Eric launched his Safer Streets Initiative, featuring unprecedented cooperation between the U.S Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office en route to taking the state’s most violent offenders off the streets. Eric also launched his Office’s first Cold Case Unit to deliver justice to victims who have waited far too long for closure. To address the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, Eric launched the SAFE Kit initiative to bring justice for the brave individuals who came forward to tell their stories. Eric has also been committed to tackling the opioid crisis, securing necessary resources for treatment to those affected across the state. Eric also led fights to secure the border and make America energy independent. Working with a broad coalition of attorneys general, Eric ensured successful border policies were continued and fought for domestic energy exploration to lower the price at the gas pump. Previously, Missourians elected Eric as their 46th State Treasurer, where he fought to safeguard precious taxpayer dollars by deploying a statewide tool allowing citizens to see how their money was spent. Before serving as Treasurer, he was elected twice to represent Missouri’s 15th Senate District, where he authored two of the most significant tax cuts in state history, championed landmark legislation to end the unjust practice of taxation by citation, and advocated for those with special needs. On November 8, 2022, Missouri voters elected Eric Schmitt to the U.S. Senate to replace former Senator Roy Blunt. Since becoming a United States Senator, his priorities have remained similar to those at the local level: Protecting free speech, fighting the administrative state, and ensuring that Missourians are taken care of. Senator Schmitt serves on the Judiciary Committee and Chairs the Subcommittee on the Constitution. He also serves on the Armed Services Committee, the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and serves as Vice Chair of the Joint
Things you didn’t know about Senator Eric Schmitt:
He and his family have been lifelong Roman Catholics, and Schmitt has attended various Papal events in Vatican City with President Trump and other Senate and House Members who are Catholics as well.