James W. Lembke (born July 24, 1961) is an American Republican politician from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. He served as a member of 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 ...

from 2003 through 2009, representing the 85th district, and 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 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

from 2009 to 2013, representing the 1st district. In 2011, Lembke led a filibuster over the state accepting extended unemployment benefits from the federal government, effectively cutting off those benefits until an agreement cut state benefits to 20 weeks from 26 weeks. The move was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans, as the state was not required to pay anything for the extended benefits. He was the only Republican representing a significant portion of St. Louis City in the state legislature. He was defeated by Democrat Scott Sifton in 2012.

Personal life

Lembke was the business manager/development director at Providence Christian Academy. From 1987 to 1997 he was owner/partner of Savile Row. From 1982 to 1987 he was the owner of Christopher's Shoes. After his political career, he worked with United for Missouri, a tax policy organization. Lembke is an elder of Holy Trinity Anglican Church and former board chairman of Providence Christian Academy. He is a member of the South County Chamber; Lemay and Tesson Republican Organizations and was on the board of Sunshine Mission from 1990 to 1993. A 1979 graduate of Mehlville Senior High School, Sen. Lembke attended

Meramec Community College Meramec is a name for several places in the United States: * Meramec River in Missouri * Meramec Caverns on the Meramec River * Meramec State Park in Missouri See also * Merrimac (disambiguation) * Merrimack (disambiguation) * Meramec (series) The ...

and

Covenant Theological Seminary Covenant Theological Seminary, informally called Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, it trains people to work as leaders in church positions and elsewh ...

. Lembke lives in

St. Louis County, Missouri St. Louis County is located in eastern Missouri. It is bounded by the City of St. Louis and the Mississippi River to the east, the Missouri River to the north, and the Meramec River to the south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1, ...

with his wife, Donna. They have two children, Anna and Mitchell.

References

External links

Jim Lembke for State Senate
official campaign website

official government website 1961 births Living people Politicians from Chicago Politicians from St. Louis County, Missouri Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Republican Party Missouri state senators 21st-century members of the Missouri General Assembly {{Missouri-MOSenate-stub