Eric Schmitt
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| Eric Schmitt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Eric Schmitt |
| Birth date | November 20, 1975 |
| Birth place | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Occupation | Politician, Attorney |
| Party | Republican Party (United States) |
| Spouse | Jaime Schmitt |
| Alma mater | Truman State University; Saint Louis University School of Law |
Eric Schmitt Eric Schmitt is an American attorney and Republican politician from Missouri who has served as a United States Senator since 2023. He previously served as the 43rd Attorney General of Missouri and as Missouri State Treasurer, after a decade in the Missouri Senate. Schmitt’s public profile includes litigation against federal agencies and high-profile state legal actions that intersected with national actors. He has been involved with policy debates alongside figures from the Republican Party, conservative organizations, and litigation partners.
Early life and education
Born in St. Louis, Schmitt attended local schools in Brentwood, Missouri and the St. Louis County, Missouri area before enrolling at Truman State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts. He later obtained a Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law, where he participated in clinics and worked with local firms connected to the Missouri Bar. During his studies he engaged with regional institutions such as Washington University in St. Louis alumni networks and local civic organizations in St. Louis and Jefferson City, Missouri.
Legal career and private practice
After law school, Schmitt began practice in the private sector, joining law firms and firms with ties to litigation in the Eastern District of Missouri and transactions involving Boeing suppliers and regional corporations. His private practice work included representation in commercial disputes, regulatory defense, and municipal matters involving entities like the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District and local utilities. Schmitt also served as outside counsel or co-counsel on matters that later informed his public-service litigation strategies alongside attorneys connected to National Rifle Association litigation and advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union only by collision in contested issues.
Missouri legislative career
Schmitt was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2008, representing parts of St. Louis County, Missouri and serving on committees concerned with judiciary and appropriations. In the Missouri General Assembly, he sponsored and supported legislation affecting state taxation, infrastructure projects with links to U.S. Route 67 corridors, and regulatory reforms that involved entities like the Missouri Department of Transportation and state licensure boards. He worked with fellow legislators including Roy Blunt, Eric Greitens, and Jay Nixon on budget and legal matters, and his tenure overlapped with policy debates involving Jefferson City, Missouri leadership, Missouri Republican Party officials, and interest groups from Kansas City, Missouri and Springfield, Missouri.
Attorney General of Missouri
In 2018 Schmitt won election as Attorney General of Missouri, succeeding Josh Hawley after Hawley was elected to the United States Senate. As Attorney General he led state-level litigation against federal agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Department of Education, and joined multistate coalitions with attorneys general from states like Texas and Florida challenging actions by the Obama administration’s legacy policies or later the Biden administration. Schmitt’s office brought suits concerning federal rulemaking, civil rights enforcement, environmental regulation involving the Environmental Protection Agency, and challenges to executive actions associated with Donald Trump and Joe Biden. He also defended state statutes enacted by the Missouri General Assembly and coordinated with governors such as Mike Parson on legal strategy.
United States Senator
Schmitt ran in the 2022 special election for the United States Senate seat vacated by the appointment of Roy Blunt and subsequent dynamics following Jo Manns-era political shifts; he won the Republican nomination and the general election, taking office in 2023. In the Senate he serves on committees that intersect with homeland security, judiciary, and appropriations deliberations alongside senators from Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and Arizona. His senatorial actions include introducing or cosponsoring bills addressing issues related to veterans affairs with figures associated with the Department of Veterans Affairs, energy policy intersecting with ExxonMobil and NextEra Energy interests, and oversight involving the Federal Reserve and U.S. Department of Justice operations. Schmitt has participated in floor debates alongside senators such as Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Marco Rubio.
Political positions and ideology
Schmitt identifies with conservative positions associated with the modern Republican Party (United States), emphasizing law-and-order themes, Second Amendment advocacy linked to groups like the National Rifle Association, and regulatory rollback aligned with free-market advocates such as Charles Koch-linked networks. He has opposed certain regulatory actions by the Environmental Protection Agency and supported energy development strategies favorable to Missouri Public Service Commission-regulated utilities and agricultural stakeholders including American Farm Bureau Federation. On immigration and federal authority he has sided with states’ rights arguments echoed by figures like Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott, and has been critical of federal pandemic-related mandates that involved coordination with state executive authorities such as Mike Parson. Schmitt’s policy stances have aligned with judicial nominees supported by Federalist Society members and he has emphasized criminal-justice approaches paralleling rhetoric from William Barr and other conservative attorneys general.
Personal life and awards
Schmitt is married to Jaime Schmitt and they have two children; the family resides in Clayton, Missouri. He has received recognition from state bar associations and conservative legal organizations, and awards or acknowledgments from local chambers of commerce in St. Louis and business groups in Jefferson City, Missouri. Schmitt has appeared in regional media outlets including St. Louis Post-Dispatch and national outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post in coverage of litigation and political campaigns. He is affiliated with civic and charitable organizations in Missouri and participates in events tied to institutions like Truman State University and Saint Louis University.