DeWayne Burns

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. While at Tarleton State DeWayne played on the men's golf team.[1]

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

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 and Gary Walker of Plains during the 74th legislative session in 1995.[1]

Rick Perry, then the elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner, 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 Farm Bureau of Johnson County, a fire commissioner, and a member of the Johnson County Economic Development Commission.[1]

In the March 4, 2014 primary election to select a nominee to succeed State Representative Rob Orr, who retired after ten years in the position, Philip Richard Eby of Clifton led a four-candidate field with 5,442 votes (40.1 percent). Burns finished in second place with 4,117 (30.3 percent). Two other candidates, Henry Walter Teich of Cresson, and Curtis Lyndon Laird 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 (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 Democrat Greg Allen Kauffman of Crowley, 26,866 (80.4 percent) to 6,532 (19.5 percent).[4]