Derio L. Gambaro (born December 6, 1955) is an American politician. He previously served in the Missouri House of Representatives where he represented a portion of

South St. Louis ''South of St Louis'' is a 1949 American Technicolor Western film directed by Ray Enright and starring Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott and Dorothy Malone. It chronicles the friendship between three ranchers after their ranch is des ...

including The Hill and Dogtown neighborhoods. He is a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. Gambaro grew up in St. Louis and graduated from

St. Louis University High School St. Louis University High School (SLUH) is a Jesuit Catholic high school for boys. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest secondary educational institution in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River, and one of the largest private high schools in Miss ...

. He attended the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

for two years and graduated from

St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

in 1979. Gambaro and his wife, Linda, live on the St. Louis Hill with their four children: Anna, Derio J., Catherine, and Margaret, and also his son-in-law Pat McIver. In 1998, Gambaro was elected State Representative, defeating incumbent Tom Bauer

in the Democratic

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

. Gambaro was re-elected in 2000 and did not seek re-election in 2002. He later served on the St. Louis board of election commissioners. In 2006, after several years out of elective office, Gambaro was an unsuccessful candidate for the 4th District Missouri State Senate seat being vacated by

Pat Dougherty Patrick Dougherty (born June 30, 1948) is an American Democratic politician. Due to term limits, he retired from political life in 2007 after nearly 30 years of service in the Missouri General Assembly. Education and background Patrick Dougherty ...

. The Democratic

was heavily contested, and no Republicans or third party candidates sought the seat. Gambaro finished third in the race, behind

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

instructor Jeff Smith and State Representative

Yaphett El-Amin Yaphett El-Amin (born March 30, 1971) is an American politician who, until 2006, represented a portion of St. Louis in the Missouri House of Representatives. She is a Democrat. El-Amin is a native of St. Louis. She graduated from the Unive ...

, but ahead of State Representative Amber Boykins, and former St. Louis Alderman Kenny Jonesbr>
Governor Blunt appointed Gambaro to the Missouri State Board of Education in June 2007.

References

External links

KWMU 2006 election guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gambaro Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives 1955 births Living people Politicians from St. Louis American people of Italian descent