Robert Mayer is a U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 attorney who has also worked as a farmer, broadcaster, and industrial engineering technician. He is also currently a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the Missouri State Senate. He resides in Dexter, Missouri

Dexter, Missouri

-Government:* Mayor: Joe Weber* City Administrator: Mark Stidham* Aldermen:* Ward 1: Jerry Corder, Terry Battles* Ward 2: Kent Essner, Rick Hux* Ward 3: Ray Pixley, John "Kirby" Taylor-Notable residents:* George K. Sisler, Medal of Honor recipient...

, with his wife, the former Nancy Tuley, and their three children, Jason, Dustin, and Daniel.

He was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...

, and educated in the Dexter public schools. He received a B.S. in political science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 from Southeast Missouri State University

Southeast Missouri State University

Southeast Missouri State University, is a public, accredited university located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, near the banks of the Mississippi River. The institution, having started as a normal school, has a traditional strength in teacher education...

, and a J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1996.

He is a deacon of the First Baptist Church, and a member of Dexter Kiwanis Club, the Missouri Farm Bureau, the American-International Charolais Association, the Missouri Delta Center Advisory Committee, the Missouri Veterans Home Foundation Board, and the Stoddard County Gospel Mission Board.

He was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives

Missouri House of Representatives

The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...

 in 2000, and served in that body through 2004. That year, he was first elected to the Missouri State Senate and was first elected as President Pro Tem at the start of the 2011-2012 legislative session. He serves on the following committees:

• Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence (vice chair)
• Agriculture, Conservation, Parks and Natural Resources
• Appropriations
• Education.