Miriam Meyer

**Miriam Isabel Meyer** (née **Seidel**; born November 13, 1966) is an American politician serving as the junior U.S. Senator from Missouri since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Missouri's 7th district, from 2015 to 2019, and as a member of the Joplin City Council from 2013 to 2015.

Meyer was born in Miami, Oklahoma, graduating from Miami High School in 1985. She went on to attend the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a degree in public and community health in 1989. Following her graduation, Meyer returned to her hometown and began working at the healthcare management company Stratus Health. Meyer continued to work at Stratus Health for several years, becoming the vice president of analytics in 2005. She received a master's degree in management from Missouri Southern State University in 2003. Meyer left her career in the healthcare industry in 2013, in order to enter politics.

Meyer first began her political career in 2011, launching a bid for the Joplin City Council, although she was defeated in the election. In 2013, she launched another bid for the same position and won. She served for one term, until announcing her candidacy for Missouri's 7th district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. She went on to win the Republican nomination after securing the endorsement of retiring incumbent George Schumacher, and later easily won the general election. Meyer was reelected in 2016, and later announced her candidacy for United States Senate in 2018, challenging Democratic incumbent Ellen Vandyck. Meyer easily won the Republican nomination and later defeated Vandyck in the general election; she was sworn in as Missouri's junior U.S. Senator on January 3, 2019.

## Early life and family

Meyer was born on November 13, 1966 in Miami, Oklahoma to parents Arnold (born 1935) and Mary Christina Seidel (née *Brandt*; born 1938). Both of her parents are of German origin, with their families immigrating to the United States from Prussia and Saxony in the 19th-century; as a child Meyer was led to believe she was of maternal Swiss origin, but later discovered this was a lie fabricated by her maternal grandparents to avoid anti-German sentiment in the United States during and after World War II. Meyer was raised a Protestant. Arnold worked in the finance industry, while Mary Christina was a homemaker-turned-artist who sold homemade paintings and crafts; the family was middle-class. Meyer is the youngest of three siblings; her elder siblings include Pamela "Pam", born  (1963-07-08) July 8, 1963 (age 60), and Francis "Frank", born  (1965-02-26) February 26, 1965 (age 58).

## Education and early career

Meyer attended public schooling in Miami, Oklahoma. She began her education in 1972, attending a local public elementary school. As a child, Meyer showed immense interest and talent with the fine arts, and was interested in pursuing a career as an art teacher. She began high school at Miami High School in 1981, where she was an honors student and active in the school's arts department. Meyer went on to graduate from high school in 1985, where she won Most Artistic as her senior superlative. After graduating from high school, Meyer moved to Norman, Oklahoma to attend the University of Oklahoma. She graduated *cum laude* with a degree in public and community health, and a minor in fine arts in 1989.

After finishing her undergraduate degree, Meyer returned to her hometown of Miami and began working an entry-level position at the healthcare management company Stratus Health in nearby Joplin, Missouri. While working full-time, Meyer received her master's degree in management from Missouri Southern State University in 2003. Meyer remained a loyal employee at Stratus Health for many years, and was promoted to vice president of analytics in 2005. She left her job at Stratus Health in 2013, in order to enter politics.

## Political positions

*Main article: Political positions of Miriam Meyer.*

## Personal life

Meyer began a relationship with pharmaceutical salesperson Michael Meyer in 1990. They became engaged in 1992, and married later that year. Together, they have three children: Sabrina, born  (1994-06-02) June 2, 1994 (age 29), Matthew, born  (1996-08-17) August 17, 1996 (age 27), and Natalie, born  (1999-03-14) March 14, 1999 (age 24). The family owns residences in both the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. and Joplin, Missouri, and are practicing Protestant Christians.