(Above) Senator Missy Irvin is sworn in to the Arkansas Senate by Chief Justice Jim Hannah of the state Supreme Court. With her is her husband, Dr. Dawson Irvin, M.D., and her children Hennelly (left), Allyn (the tallest), Josie (partially hidden) and Ike (in front).
LITTLE ROCK – When Senator Missy Thomas Irvin of Mountain View took her oath of office on the first day of the 2011 legislative session, several “firsts” went into the history books.
Irvin is not only the first resident of Stone County to represent Senate District 10, she is also the first woman and the first Republican from Stone County elected to the Senate.
Irvin had already made legislative history when she became chairman of the Senate Committee on Children and Youth. That happened at the Senate’s organizational meeting in November when senators chose their committee assignments, and before Irvin had been sworn in officially as a senator. She is the first Republican freshman, either man or woman, to chair a Senate committee.
Finally, at the age of 39 she is the youngest woman to ever serve in the Senate.
“The voters of Senate District 10 made history. They are and they should be proud of making history,” Irvin said.
“Their votes put me in this position, and I am honored and humbled by their confidence in me,” Irvin said.
Irvin represents Senate District 10, which is made up of Fulton, Izard, Randolph, Sharp and Stone Counties and parts of Independence County.
