Jay Wasson (born October 24, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

for the 20th district from 2011 to 2019. Previously, Wasson served four terms in the

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 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

(2002–2010).

Early life and education

Born in nearby Springfield, Jay Wasson was raised in

Nixa, Missouri Nixa is a city in Christian County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 23,257. It is a principal city, and the second largest city in the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The ar ...

. His ancestors settled in Nixa in 1867. After graduation from Nixa Public High School in 1974, Wasson attended

Drury University Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate and grad ...

Career

Outside of politics, Wasson works as a real estate developer. He is also a company officer for St. John's Health Systems, Inc.

Missouri Legislature

Wasson first entered statewide politics in 2002, winning the first of four consecutive terms to the Missouri House of Representatives. Term-limited by Missouri law from running for Representative again, Wasson mounted a successful campaign in 2010 for the Missouri Senate, defeating Democrat Terry Traw to replace term-limited Senator

Dan Clemens Dan J. Clemens (January 3, 1945 – July 22, 2019) was a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Missouri State Senate. Biography He was born in Webster County, Missouri, and educated in the schools of Marshfield, where he w ...

. During his tenure in the Senate, Wasson served as chair of the Economic Development Committee.

2022 congressional election

In September 2021, Wasson declared his candidacy for

Missouri's 7th congressional district Missouri's 7th congressional district consists of Southwest Missouri. The district includes Springfield, the home of Missouri State University, and the popular tourist destination city of Branson. Located along the borders of Kansas, Oklahoma ...

in the 2022 election.

Personal life

Wasson and his wife, Retha, live in Nixa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wasson, Jay 1956 births 21st-century American politicians Drury University alumni Living people Republican Party Missouri state senators People from Nixa, Missouri Politicians from Springfield, Missouri Real estate and property developers