Sworn in on January 3, 2023, Eric Schmitt is serving his first term as a United States Senator from the State of Missouri.
EARLY
LIFE.
Eric Schmitt grew up in Bridgeton, Missouri which sits in North St. Louis County in the shadow of the airport. 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. 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 De Smet 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 called Tuberous Scleroris, 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.
SERVING
MISSOURI.
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 was also 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.Â
Before serving as Treasurer, he was elected twice to represent Missouri’s 15th Senate District, where he authored two of the largest tax cuts in state history, championed landmark legislation to end the unjust practice of taxation by citation, and advocated for those with special needs.
IN THE
SENATE.
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’s first piece of legislation took aim directly at the administrative state, and he has since introduced multiple pieces of legislation that aim to: protect freedom of speech online, root out DEI in corporate boardrooms and in government offices, end COVID tyranny, improve quality of life for service members and their spouses, ease the burden on commercial space launches, and more. Senator Schmitt has also fought to ensure our military is laser-focused on lethality and preparedness as we face down our chief adversary China.
Senator Schmitt serves on the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He is the ranking member for the Space and Science Subcommittee. Eric is also on the Communications, Media, and Broadband Subcommittee and the Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports Subcommittee. He serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and is a member of the Cybersecurity, Emerging Threats and Capabilities, and Seapower Subcommittee. Lastly, he is an active member of the Joint Economic Committee.
