Political Life
Wayne is a lifelong resident of Shelby County and is currently serving his seventh term as the State Representative of House District 9. During his time in the Legislature, Wayne has served on numerous committees and held several significant positions. Amongst them, he has enjoyed the privilege of serving as the Vice Chairman of both the Regulated Industries and Criminal Jurisprudence committees. Wayne was honored to receive these appointments which have enabled him to address important matters concerning House District 9, including the future of power plants in East Texas and settling the 30-year water level problems of Toledo Bend Lake. Wayne currently sits on the powerful Ways and Means committee.
During the 81st session, Wayne was elected as president of the Texas Conservative Coalition (TCC) and continues to serve as president today. TCC is one of the largest and most influential coalitions, providing principled leadership to members on key conservative issues and guiding debate on the House floor. Additionally, he has been previously elected to the Policy Committee of the Republican Caucus where members meet to ensure conservative values are implemented, taxes remain low and job creation increases. Wayne is also a sitting board member of the TEA Party Caucus.
Wayne has consistently proven to vote on conservative values throughout his career, putting families first and promoting commonsense business and tax laws. He is the second highest rated member on the Young Conservatives of Texas’ Historic Honor Roll. This distinguished list features the top conservatives in both the State House and State Senate, and accounts for votes made across their entire time serving in the Legislature.
Furthermore, he has also been consistently recognized by multiple organizations for his conservative voting record during each session. Wayne proudly held the single “most conservative” voting record in the entire House and Senate during both the 78th and 80th legislative session. For the last legislative session (82nd), the Texas Eagle Forum awarded Wayne the only perfect 100% conservative voting record and the Heritage Alliance awarded Wayne the highest conservative rating in the entire Texas Legislature.
Wayne has repeatedly proven over his time in the Legislature to vote with conservative principles and to work with his constituents to improve their lives, businesses, and strengthen their families. Wayne’s top priority is to work hard for the people of House District 9 and he has never sacrificed his conservative values during his time in the Capitol.
In his many years of serving House District 9, he’s received numerous awards for his conservative record, including:
Outstanding Freshman of the Year (75th Session), Republican Caucus
Taxpayer Champion, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
National Legislator of the Year, American Legislative Exchange Council
National Hero of the Faith, Vision America
Defender of Life, Texas Right to Life
Fighter for Free Enterprise, Texas Association of Business
Torch of Freedom Lifetime Achievement Award, Young Conservatives of Texas
Man of the Year in Texas Agriculture, Texas County Extension Service
Freedom and Family Award, Texas Eagle Forum
Legislator of the Year, Texas Conservative Digest
Personal Life
Wayne is a fourth-generation resident of Shelby County, born in Center, Texas and raised in Tenaha, Texas, only 11 miles north. He is the son of James and Tommie Christian.
After attending the public schools in the Tenaha Independent School District, Wayne graduated as valedictorian from Tenaha High School in 1969. His college years were spent at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, where he graduated with a BBA in General Business with a minor in Marketing in 1973.
In 1975, Wayne married his beautiful wife, Lisa Lemoine, of Shelbyville, Texas. They have three daughters – Liza, Lindsey, and Lauren.
Wayne enjoys being active in the community, where he is a member of the Lions International and Gideons International. He and his family are members of the First Baptist Church in Center, where he has served as a member of the Texas Baptist Men’s Laity Board. Wayne has also served as president of the Board of Directors of the Shelby County Senior Citizen Corporation of Texas.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, you could find Wayne singing with his band the Mercy River Boys, which was a two-time finalist for the National GMA Dove Award as group of the year; once in 1979 and again in 1980. Also in 1979, Wayne was a finalist for the Grammy Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. But Wayne’s involvement went beyond just singing; he was also active with the Gospel Music Association and served on the National Board of Directors from 1976 to 1979.
Business Life
Wayne gained his business experience by working for various companies specializing in financial matters. Upon graduating from SFA, he went to work for Panola Insurance Agency, Inc. in Carthage, Texas. Then in 1975, he settled into a position with the Sabine Valley Savings and Loan Association as a loan officer.
In 1979, after years of hard work and dedication, he was offered and accepted a position with Farmers State Bank in Center, in the Savings Department as Assistant Vice President. During the time Wayne was employed by the Farmers State Bank, his entrepreneurial spirit began to show. In 1983, he became the managing partner of Century 21 Real Estate in Center. As the managing partner, he quickly learned the intricacies, difficulties, and rewards of being a small business owner.
In 1987, Wayne decided to go into business for himself as an investment advisor representative for Hartford’s Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., also in Center. He continues his involvement in the investments industry, dealing with investment sales, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, etc. Wayne was once a member of the prestigious Sun America President’s Club, being in the top 1% of 6,700 offices nationwide. He is currently a member of Woodbury Financial’s Eagle’s Circle.
