Melvin Eugene Carnahan was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in 2000. Carnahan was a Democrat and held various positions in government. Born in rural Missouri, Carnahan was the son of Congressman A. S. J. Carnahan and attended campaign events with his father. He moved to Washington, D.C., with his father and attended high school and college there. After a stint in the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Carnahan returned to Missouri, graduating from the University of Missouri in 1959. Shortly after, he moved to Rolla with an eye on entering politics.

Albert Sidney Johnson Carnahan was an American educator, diplomat and Democratic Party politician who represented southeastern Missouri in the United States House of Representatives for fourteen years between 1945 and 1961. He was the patriarch of the Carnahan family, a prominent political family in Missouri into the 21st century. He began his career as a teacher and school administrator.