DeWayne Burns

DeWayne Christopher Burns

* * *

Texas State Representative
for District 58 (Johnson
and Bosque counties)

Incumbent
Assumed office
January 13, 2015
Preceded by  |  Rob Orr

* * *

Born  |  June 22, 1972
Corpus Christi, Texas
Nationality  |  American
Political party  |  Republican
Spouse(s)  |  Jennifer Ormsby Burns (married 1995)
Children  |  Three children
Residence  |  Cleburne, Johnson County
Alma mater |  Cleburne High School

Texas A&M University
Tarleton State Universi]

Occupation  |  Property investment manager
Religion  |  Southern Baptist

DeWayne Christopher Burns (born June 22, 1972) is a property investment manager and rancher from Cleburne, Texas, who is a Republican state representative for District 58 in Johnson and Bosque counties.

## Background[edit]

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Burns was reared on a small farm in southwestern Johnson County near the Brazos River and the Bosque County line, Burns attended public schools in Cleburne and graduated in 1990 from Cleburne High School. Though he initially attended Texas A&M University in College Station, he transferred to Tarleton State University in Stephenville, from which he graduated in 1994.[1]

Burns wed his wife, the former Jennifer D. Ormsby, in 1995. The couple has three children. They are members of the First Baptist Church of Cleburne.[1]

## Civic and political life[edit]

After college, Burns worked for the Texas Grain and Feed Association until he was hired as a legislative analyst by Republican since former State Representatives Arlene Wohlgemuth of Burleson, Texas, Gary Walker of Plains, Texas, during the 74th legislative session in 1995.[1]

Rick Perry, then the elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner, who became governor late in the year 2000, added Burns to his staff. He was promoted to the position of coordinator for special issues in the department's Intergovernmental Affairs Division. Burns was a department inspector with duties over crop and seed certification, weights and measures compliance, and enforcement of pest and plant quarantine laws. These duties encompassed a ten-county jurisdiction, including Johnson and Bosque counties.[1]

Prior to joining the legislature, Burns was vice president of the trustees of the Cleburne Independent School District.. His family cattle ranch, which he still maintains in addition to his investment business, is located southwest of Cleburne. He is a former president of the Johnson County Farm Bureau, a fire commissioner, and a member of the Johnson County Economic Development Commission.[1]

In the March 4, 2014 primary to select a nominee to succeed State Representative Rob Orr, who retired after ten years in the position, Philip Richard Eby (born 1984) of Clifton led a four-candidate field with 5,442 votes (40.1 percent). Burns finished in second place with 4,117 votes (30.3 percent). Two other candidates, Henry Walter Teich of Cresson, and Curtis Lyndon Laird (born 1959) of Cleburne, held the remaining but critical 29.6 percent of the ballots cast.[2]With Orr's endorsement, Burns then defeated Eby in the May 27 runoff election, 5,142 votes (53.4 percent) to 4,485 (46.6 percent).[3]

In the general election on November 4, 2014, Burns prevailed in the heavily Republican district over the Democrat Greg Allen Kauffman (born 1954) of Crowley, Texas, 26,866 votes (80.4 percent) to 6,532 (19.5 percent).[4]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 About DeWayne Burns. burnsfortexas.com. Retrieved on December 6, 2014.
2. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, Republican Primary Election Returns, March 4, 2014.
3. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, Republican Runoff Election returns, May 27, 2014.
4. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, General Election Returns, November 4, 2014.