Representative Jason Smith of Missouri was born in St. Louis on June 16, 1980. He graduated from Salem High School in 1998, earned a B.S. from the University of Missouri in 2001, and a J.D. from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2004. A farmer and private practice lawyer, Smith served in the Missouri State House of Representatives from 2005 to 2013. He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, succeeding Jo Ann Emerson, and has been reelected to six subsequent Congresses. He has chaired the Committee on Ways and Means during the 118th and 119th Congresses and the Joint Committee on Taxation during the 118th Congress.