Ann Wagner
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Ann Louise Wagner (née Trousdale, September 13, 1962) is an American politician and diplomat serving as the
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for
Missouri's 2nd congressional district Missouri's second congressional district is in the eastern portion of the state, primarily consisting of the suburbs south and west of St. Louis, including Arnold, Town and Country, Wildwood, Chesterfield, and Oakville.McDermott, Kevin. "Mis ...
. A member of the Republican Party, she was the
United States ambassador to Luxembourg The United States Ambassador to Luxembourg oversees the U.S. Embassy in that country. They supervise the embassy staff in the conduct of diplomatic relations with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and coordination of the activities of U.S. Governmen ...
from 2005 to 2009. Her district, based in St. Louis County, is heavily suburban and the state's wealthiest. It includes most of
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
's southern and western suburbs as well as some of the northern exurbs in
St. Charles County St. Charles County is in the central eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 405,262, making it Missouri's third-most populous county. Its county seat is St. Charles. The county was organized Oct ...
and the northern part of Jefferson County. Before her diplomatic post, Wagner chaired the
Missouri Republican Party The Missouri Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Missouri. Its chair is Nick Myers, who has served since 2021. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling the majority of Missouri's U.S. H ...
from 1999 until 2005; she co-chaired the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
for four years, starting in 2001.


Early life and education

Wagner was born and raised in
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. Her parents owned two carpet stores where she worked growing up. She attended
Cor Jesu Academy Cor Jesu Academy is a Catholic college preparatory high school for young women located in Affton, Missouri, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. It was founded in 1956 by the Apostles of the Sacred Heart. History Originally locate ...
, a private Catholic all-girls school in South County, and graduated from the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
in 1984 with a BSBA from the business school with an emphasis in
logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
. After college, she worked in the private sector and held management positions at
Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...
in
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
and
Ralston Purina Ralston Purina Company was a St. Louis, Missouri,–based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed, food, pet food, consumer products, and entertainment. On December 12, 2001, it merged with Swiss food-giant Nestlé's Fri ...
in
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
.


Career


1990s

Wagner entered
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
politics in 1990, heading the GOP's efforts during the
decennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...
redistricting of Missouri. In 1992, she was state director of President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
's unsuccessful reelection campaign.


2000s


Missouri GOP

Wagner was elected to her first term of office as chair of the Missouri Republican Party in 1999, becoming the first woman to occupy the position. Her most notable achievement in that role came during her second two-year term, when she oversaw the party's taking majority control of both chambers of the
Missouri General Assembly The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Senate and a 163-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the General Assembly are ...
, winning the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in a 2001
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
and the
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
in the 2002
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, the first time this had been seen in over 40 years. During her third term, the party held its majorities in both chambers and also took the governor's seat for the first time in 12 years with
Matt Blunt Matthew Roy Blunt (born November 20, 1970) is an American former naval officer and politician who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 54th Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. Before his election as governor, Blunt served ten years in ...
's election in 2004, giving the GOP complete control of state government for the first time since 1921. Her six years as chairperson witnessed
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
carry Missouri in both of his presidential bids and also saw the Republican Party win a majority of the state's congressional delegation.


National campaigning

In 2001, Wagner took office as a co-chair of the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
and helped preside over the
2004 Republican National Convention The 2004 Republican National Convention took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The convention is one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings at which the Republican candidates fo ...
. In this position, she took a strong role in directing the development of the Winning Women initiative, whose aim was to improve the GOP's image with women and demonstrate the relevance of its platform to them. Her work with the committee took her to 48 states. In January 2005, she left her role as co-chair after one term. In 2004, Wagner was a fundraising "
ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
" for President George W. Bush.


U.S. ambassadorship

On February 20, 2005, Wagner was elected to a fourth term as chair of the Missouri Republican Party. On May 16, Bush nominated her as
United States ambassador to Luxembourg The United States Ambassador to Luxembourg oversees the U.S. Embassy in that country. They supervise the embassy staff in the conduct of diplomatic relations with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and coordination of the activities of U.S. Governmen ...
. On July 16, 2005, she was confirmed in the post by a voice vote in the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
, after which
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Jim Talent James Matthes Talent (born October 18, 1956) is an American politician who was a U.S. Senator from Missouri from 2002 to 2007. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. After serving for eight years in ...
said she was "a considerate woman, whose character and abilities uniquely qualify her to represent our nation." On August 1, she was sworn in as Ambassador by U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th Uni ...
in the
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
Room of the
Harry S Truman Building The Harry S Truman Building is the headquarters of the United States Department of State. It is located in Washington, D.C., and houses the office of the United States Secretary of State. The Truman Building is located in the Foggy Bottom neighbo ...
.


2010s


2010 U.S. Senate election

After returning from Luxembourg, Wagner served as chair of
Roy Blunt Roy Dean Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator for Missouri, a seat he was first elected to in 2010. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 33rd Missouri Sec ...
's 2010 U.S. Senate campaign. Blunt defeated
Missouri Secretary of State The people below have served as the Secretary of State of the U.S. state of Missouri. List Gallery File:Warren E. Hearnes.jpg, Warren E. Hearnes File:James C. Kirkpatrick.jpg, James C. Kirkpatrick File:Rep Roy Blunt.jpg, Roy Blunt File:Matt ...
Robin Carnahan Robin Colleen Carnahan (born August 4, 1961) is an American businesswoman, lawyer, and politician, who previously served as the Missouri Secretary of State and currently serves as the Administrator of General Services in the Biden administrati ...
, 54%–41%.


2011 RNC chair election

On November 29, 2010, Wagner sent a video message to the committee members of the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
announcing she was running for RNC chair. The election was held in January 2011, and Wagner conceded after the sixth round after receiving 17 votes. Wisconsin Republican Party chair
Reince Priebus Reinhold Richard Priebus ( ; born March 18, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician who served as White House Chief of Staff for President Donald Trump from January 20, 2017, until July 31, 2017. He also served as the chairman of the Republ ...
won.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections


2012

Wagner announced her candidacy for
Missouri's 2nd congressional district Missouri's second congressional district is in the eastern portion of the state, primarily consisting of the suburbs south and west of St. Louis, including Arnold, Town and Country, Wildwood, Chesterfield, and Oakville.McDermott, Kevin. "Mis ...
after incumbent
Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...
Todd Akin William Todd Akin (July 5, 1947 – October 3, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis ...
announced his candidacy for
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
. Wagner was endorsed by
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in Ne ...
, former
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Mike Huckabee Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomina ...
, former
U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and former politician who served as the 79th U.S. Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2005. A former U.S. Senator from Missouri and the 50th ...
, and the
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...
women's group the
Susan B. Anthony List Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (formerly Susan B. Anthony List) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that seeks to reduce and ultimately end abortion in the U.S. by supporting anti-abortion politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List ...
. She won the four-way Republican primary—the de facto election given the lack of support for Democratic nominee Glenn Koenen—with 66% of the vote. In November, she won the general election by 23 points. Wagner is the third Republican woman elected to Congress from Missouri (after
Jo Ann Emerson Jo Ann Emerson (née Hermann; born September 16, 1950) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1996 to 2013. The district consists of Southeast and South Central Missouri and includes the Bootheel, the Lead Belt an ...
and
Vicky Hartzler Vicky Jo Hartzler (née Zellmer; born October 13, 1960) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, she ...
), and the second who was not elected as a stand-in for her husband (after Hartzler; Emerson was originally elected to finish out the term of her late husband,
Bill Emerson Norvell William Emerson (January 1, 1938 – June 22, 1996) was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri from 1981 until his death from lung cancer in Bethesda, Maryland in 19 ...
).


2014

In her first bid for reelection, Wagner ran unopposed in the Republican primary and easily won the general election, increasing her margin of victory from 2012.


2016


2018

Wagner had a closer-than-expected race against Democratic attorney Cort VanOstran, but prevailed with 51.2% of the vote to VanOstran's 47.2%. It was only the third time since 1986 that a Democrat had managed even 40% of the vote in this district.


2020

Wagner was considered potentially vulnerable due to the surprisingly close margin in 2018 and President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's unpopularity in suburban areas. State senator
Jill Schupp Jill Schupp (née Seltzer; born January 27, 1955) is a Democratic member of the Missouri Senate, representing the 24th district consisting of the western suburbs of St. Louis. Previously, Schupp represented the 88th district in the Missouri Hous ...
, whose state senate district covers much of the St. Louis County portion of the congressional district, won the Democratic nomination unopposed. By the fall of 2020, ''
The Cook Political Report ''The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'' is an American online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the U.S. Presidency, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and U.S. governors' offices. Sel ...
'' listed the race as a toss-up. Wagner defeated Schupp by just over six percentage points. At the same time, Trump carried the 2nd by only 115 votes, a marked turnabout from his 11-point win in 2016. It was the closest that a Democratic presidential nominee had come to carrying the district since it lost its share of St. Louis after the 1980 census.


2022

Wagner was reelected in 2022, defeating
Trish Gunby Patricia Washburn Gunby is an American politician from the U.S. state, state of Missouri. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, she represented the 99th district in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2020 to 2023. Biography Gunby ...
.


Tenure

In 2016, Wagner made headlines by withdrawing her endorsement for the GOP nominee for president,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. Wagner's position on Trump changed several times since her initial endorsement in September; in October she withdrew her support and called on Trump to step down, but in November walked that statement back and voiced her intention to vote for Trump. On May 4, 2017, Wagner voted for the
American Health Care Act The American Health Care Act of 2017 (often shortened to the AHCA or nicknamed Trumpcare) was a bill in the 115th United States Congress. The bill, which was passed by the United States House of Representatives but not by the United States S ...
, which would have repealed
Obamacare The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
. In December 2020, Wagner was one of 126 Republican members of the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
to sign an
amicus brief An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...
in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
attacking election procedures in four states, all won by Joe Biden, in the
2020 United States presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...
. Wagner did not join other congressional Republicans in objecting to the certification of the
2021 United States Electoral College vote count The count of the Electoral College ballots during a joint session of the 117th United States Congress, pursuant to the Electoral Count Act, on January 6–7, 2021, was the final step to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 20 ...
. On July 19, 2022, Wagner and 46 other Republican Representatives voted for the
Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal governm ...
, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.


Legislation sponsored

The following is an incomplete list of legislation Wagner has sponsored: * Retail Investor Protection Act (H.R. 2374; 113th Congress) – a bill that would delay the Department of Labor's regulations on when a financial advisor must be considered a
fiduciary A fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more other parties (person or group of persons). Typically, a fiduciary prudently takes care of money or other assets for another person. One party, for exampl ...
. * Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014 (H.R. 4225; 113th Congress) – a bill that would prohibit knowingly benefiting financially from, receiving anything of value from, or distributing
advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
that offers a commercial sex act in a manner that violates federal criminal code prohibitions against sex trafficking of children or of any person by force, fraud, or coercion. The bill would make it a felony to post
prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
ads online. Wagner said that Congress was "taking steps towards ending what I would call modern-day slavery." She argued that her bill had been reviewed by the Justice Department in an attempt to ensure that it did not violate the
First Amendment to the United States Constitution The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws that regulate an establishment of religion, or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the ...
's guarantee of the right to free speech, that the House had not passed any legislation on human trafficking in 13 years, and that "our efforts to combat sex trafficking need to be updated to match the problem as it stands today."
Retail Investor Protection Act (HR 1090; 114th Congress)
a revised version of legislation Wagner sponsored that would delay the DOL's regulations regarding fiduciary advisors that passed the House on October 27, 2015, by a vote of 245–186.


Committee assignments

*
Committee on Financial Services The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees t ...
(Vice Ranking Member) **
Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises The U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets is a subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services. It was previously known as the Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets. Jurisdicti ...
** Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations * Committee on Foreign Affairs (Vice Ranking Member)


Caucus memberships

*
Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prim ...
*
Congressional Constitution Caucus The Congressional Constitution Caucus is a congressional caucus made up of 41 members of the United States Congress. The caucus was founded in 2005; it had 37 members the first year it was founded. The group was founded and formerly led by Repu ...


Personal life

Ann is married to Ray Wagner Jr., a former director of the
Missouri Department of Revenue The Missouri Department of Revenue is a U.S. state government agency in Missouri created under the Missouri Constitution in 1945, which is responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of state and local government through the collection and di ...
and the
Illinois Department of Revenue The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is the code department of the Illinois state government that collects state taxes, operates the state lottery, oversees the state's casino industry, oversees the state's thoroughbred and harness horse rac ...
. They live in Ballwin, a western suburb of St. Louis. They have three children. Ann's mother-in-law was Loretto Wagner, a noted anti-abortion activist."Loretto Wagner, longtime St. Louis-area anti-abortion activist, dies."
''
St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...
''.


See also

*
Women in the United States House of Representatives Women have served in the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber, since the 1916 election of Republican Jeannette Rankin from Montana, the first woman in Con ...


References


External links


Congresswoman Ann Wagner
official U.S. House website
Ann Wagner for Congress
* * * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Ann 1962 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Ambassadors of the United States to Luxembourg American women ambassadors Female members of the United States House of Representatives Living people Politicians from St. Louis Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri State political party chairs of Missouri University of Missouri alumni Women in Missouri politics 21st-century American diplomats