Biography

Senator Plummer and his family live in Edwardsville where he serves as President of R.P. Lumber, a family owned and operated business with over ninety retail, manufacturing, and distribution locations throughout Illinois and five other states.  He also serves as President and Chairman of Country Bancorp, a holding company with investments in community banks, and on the boards of several other companies spanning multiple industries, including real estate, hospitality, agriculture, financial services, and technology.

Senator Plummer was elected to serve as the state Senator for the 54th Senate District in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, now representing the 55th Senate District following redistricting.  The 55th State Senate District encompasses all or portions of Bond, Clay, Clinton, Effingham, Fayette, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Richland, St. Clair, and Washington Counties. It stretches from Edwardsville to Olney, covering suburbs of St. Louis and historic rural communities, including Vandalia, Illinois’ previous capitol city. The 55th District is home to over 200,000 people.

Senator Plummer was named as Assistant Republican Leader for the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus Leadership Team for the 102nd General Assembly, beginning in 2021, and again for the 103rd General Assembly, beginning in 2023.  He was one of the youngest senators to serve in leadership in senate history.  Senator Plummer serves as the Minority Spokesperson for the Senate Financial Institutions Committee, the Minority Spokesperson for the Executive Appointments Committee, and as a member of the Health & Human Services, Human Rights, Labor, and Veterans Affairs Committees during the current General Assembly.

During his time in the General Assembly, Senator Plummer was named Legislator of the Year for 2022 by the Associated Builders and Contractors, received the St. Louis Regional Chamber’s Catalyst Award, has been named a “Friend of Agriculture” by the Illinois Farm Bureau multiple times, received the “Champion of Free Enterprise” award by the IL Chamber of Commerce multiple times, and has received numerous other awards and recognitions for his service.

Senator Plummer is a member of First Baptist Church of Maryville.  He is active in numerous civic and charitable organizations.  He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Finance degree and, while in college, interned with United States Senator Peter Fitzgerald and, in Washington, DC, at The Heritage Foundation.  Senator Plummer first answered the call to serve as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Navy Reserve.  His hobbies include reading, following his favorite sports team-the Los Angeles Dodgers, and, most importantly, spending time with his family.