| Our Family
My most important job is as wife and mother. Chris and I have been married for nineteen years and have six children- Curtice, Leavitt. Hayden, Johnston, Larkin and Gerhardt. They challenge me every day to grow, love sacrificially, and appreciate more fully the many gifts I have been given. Chris and I came to the decision I should run for re-election because we believe it's important to our children's future that Missouri remain a great place to live, work, and raise a family. If we send more principled people of integrity to serve in Jefferson City, our state will flourish economically and we can have leaders whom our children can admire as role models.
Mary Elizabeth's Background
I was raised in Georgetown, Texas, a suburb of Austin, with my parents, brother and sister; my parents are now retired school teachers. Dad was active in public service, ran political campaigns, and helped write the city charter of our small town. Mom's dad had a third-grade education and worked on the railroad as a laborer to provide for his family. Because of his sacrifice, my mom was the first in her family to attend college and passed along her love of learning to me and my siblings, and her students.
I started my first business when I was 11 years old, delivering subscription flowers to attorneys and judges in the courthouse and around the town square. I couldn't afford the agricultural license to buy the flowers wholesale so I wrote then-Agricultural Commissioner Rick Perry, who personally paid for my license. I sold the business when I was a teenager, but that interaction with attorneys sparked my understanding of how the law can support the community.
I received a BSBA in Management from Saint Louis University, where I met and married my college sweetheart, Chris. We moved to San Antonio where I attended St. Mary's University School of Law. Our first son was born between my first and second year of law school and our second son was born during my third year of law school. After graduation, I began my work in private practice writing wills and trusts for families.
Our own family continued to expand, and when we found out we were expecting our fourth son, we knew we needed to get closer to family! Chris is a 9th generation Jefferson Countian, and his sisters and parents live within twenty minutes of each other. We moved home in 2009 and built a new house in Arnold. This love for our community inspired me to run for office in 2012. I am proud to have represented Ward 2 on Arnold's City Council. Meanwhile, we were blessed with two more children through domestic adoptions- our daughter in 2011, and our son in 2017. As State Representative in the 97th district I have worked hard to protect the second amendment, was an architect of the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act, fought to ensure our schools are open fully funded, red tape and regulation cut to attract and grow our economy and to make sure our state has the resources it needs to invest in our roads and bridges.
We believe that to whom much is given much is asked, and Chris and I have been blessed to serve the people of Jefferson and Saint Louis County. Thank you for that opportunity. |