DeWayne Burns was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2014 and is currently serving his fifth term. DeWayne was appointed Chairman of Land & Resource Management and serves on the Higher Education Committee. Raised in southwest Johnson County, he grew up on a small farm near the Bosque County line and the Brazos River. He attended public school in Cleburne and graduated from Cleburne High School in 1990. After attending Texas A&M, he transferred to Tarleton State University where he graduated in 1994.
Representative Burns began his career with a stint at the Texas Grain and Feed Association before being hired as a legislative analyst for State Representatives Arlene Wohlgemuth and Gary Walker during the 74th legislative session. Later, he moved to the Texas Department of Agriculture under then-Commissioner Rick Perry where he was ultimately promoted to the position of Coordinator for Special Issues in the department’s Intergovernmental Affairs Division. Representative Burns also worked as an inspector for the Texas Department of Agriculture where he was responsible for weights and measures compliance, crop and seed certification, and enforcement of Texas’ plant and pest quarantine laws, among other tasks over a 10-county region which included Bosque and Johnson counties.
Representative Burns is currently a property and business investment manager; DeWayne and his family are no strangers to hard work as they have a long history in farming, ranching, and construction. Their family ranch is still in operation to this day. Previously, DeWayne served as Vice President of the Cleburne ISD Board of Trustees, as President of the Johnson County Farm Bureau, as a member of the Johnson County Economic Development Commission, and as a Fire Commissioner for Johnson County’s Emergency Services District #1.
Representative Burns married his high school sweetheart, Jennifer, and they are the proud parents of two sons and a daughter. The Burns Family are members of First Baptist Church of Cleburne.
