Roy Blunt

Roy Blunt
Official portrait, 2011
United States Senator
from Missouri
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byKit Bond
Succeeded byEric Schmitt
Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023
LeaderMitch McConnell
Preceded byJohn Barrasso
Succeeded byJoni Ernst
Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee
In office
February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byAmy Klobuchar
Succeeded byDeb Fischer
Chair of the Senate Rules Committee
In office
April 10, 2018 – February 3, 2021
Preceded byRichard Shelby
Succeeded byAmy Klobuchar
In office
January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byChuck Schumer
Succeeded byRichard Shelby
House Minority Whip
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
LeaderJohn Boehner
Preceded bySteny Hoyer
Succeeded byEric Cantor
House Majority Leader
Acting
September 29, 2005 – February 2, 2006
LeaderDennis Hastert
Preceded byTom DeLay
Succeeded byJohn Boehner
House Majority Whip
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
LeaderDennis Hastert
Preceded byTom DeLay
Succeeded byJim Clyburn
House Republican Chief Deputy Whip
In office
January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2003
LeaderDennis Hastert
Preceded byDennis Hastert
Succeeded byEric Cantor
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 7th district
In office
January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byMel Hancock
Succeeded byBilly Long
23rd President of Southwest Baptist University
In office
December 30, 1992 – October 21, 1996
Preceded byWayne Gott (acting)
Succeeded byC. Pat Taylor
33rd Secretary of State of Missouri
In office
January 14, 1985 – January 11, 1993
GovernorJohn Ashcroft
Preceded byJames Kirkpatrick
Succeeded byJudi Moriarty
Personal details
Born
Roy Dean Blunt

(1950-01-10) January 10, 1950 (age 74)
Niangua, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Roseann Ray
(m. 1967; div. 2003)
Abigail Perlman
(m. 2003)
Children4, including Matt
Parent
EducationSouthwest Baptist University (BA)
Missouri State University (MA)
Signature

Roy Dean Blunt[1] (born January 10, 1950) is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Missouri from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 33rd Missouri Secretary of State (1985–1993) and U.S. Representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district (1997–2011).

Born in Niangua, Missouri, Blunt is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University). After serving as Missouri Secretary of State from 1985 to 1993, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Missouri's 7th congressional district in 1996. There, he served as Republican Whip from 2003 to 2009.

Blunt successfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010. The next year, he was elected vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.[2] Blunt, who was the dean of Missouri's congressional delegation, was elected to serve as Policy Committee chairman in November 2018.[3] On March 8, 2021, he announced that he would not seek reelection in 2022. He was succeeded in the U.S. Senate by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.[4][5][6][7]

On July 17, 2023, it was announced that Blunt was appointed as a member of Southwest Airlines' board of directors.[8]

  1. ^ "Representative Roy Blunt (R-Missouri, 7th)". LegiStorm. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  2. ^ Litvan, Laura (December 13, 2011). "Senate Republicans Elect Thune, Barrasso and Blunt to Top Posts". Bloomberg. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  3. ^ Bolton, Alexander (November 14, 2018). "McConnell reelected as leader, Thune promoted to whip". The Hill. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  4. ^ Blunt Announcement on 2022 Election. Roy Blunt. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Foran, Clare; Barrett, Ted; Cohen, Ethan; Rogers, Alex (March 8, 2021). "GOP Sen. Roy Blunt announces he will not run for reelection". CNN. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  6. ^ Andrew Desiderio (March 8, 2021). "Sen. Roy Blunt won't run for reelection in latest blow to GOP". POLITICO. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  7. ^ Rosenbaum, Jason (November 9, 2022). "Eric Schmitt punches ticket to U.S. Senate with victory over Trudy Busch Valentine". STLPR. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  8. ^ "Ex-Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt appointed to Southwest Airlines board of directors". Associated Press. July 17, 2023.