Blunt, Roy (1950-…), served as a United States senator from 2011 to 2023. Blunt, a Republican, represented Missouri.
Before becoming a senator, Blunt held a series of leadership posts in the Republican Party in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as chief deputy whip, the third-highest position of the House Republicans, from 1999 to 2003. He held the post of majority whip from 2003 to 2007. He also served as temporary House majority leader from September 2005 to February 2006, after Tom DeLay stepped down from the post. In February 2006, John Boehner defeated Blunt in an election by House Republicans for majority leader. Blunt served as minority whip (assistant leader) of the House from 2007 to 2009.
Blunt, a conservative, supported tax cuts and favored less federal involvement in the area of education. After the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, Blunt took a lead role in developing legislation to give financial support to the nation’s troubled airlines and to improve airline security measures.
Blunt was born on Jan. 10, 1950, in Niangua, Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Baptist University in 1970 and a master’s degree in history from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) in 1972. He taught high school from 1970 to 1973. He was Greene County clerk from 1973 to 1985. In 1984, Blunt was elected Missouri secretary of state. He won reelection and held the post until 1993. He served as president of Southwest Baptist University from 1993 to 1996, when he won election to his first term in the House. Blunt’s son Matt served as the Republican governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009.
Roy Blunt won election to the U.S. Senate in 2010. He was reelected in 2016. As a senator, Blunt served on the Appropriations and Rules committees. He became known for promoting federal funding for medical research. He also served as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. Blunt retired from the Senate in January 2023.
