James W. Erwin graduated from Missouri State University with a BA in mathematics. After service in the United States Army, he obtained an MA in history from the University of Missouri and a JD from the University of Missouri Law School. He practiced law in St. Louis for more than thirty-seven years. Mr. Erwin and his wife, Vicki Berger Erwin, owned a bookstore in the Main Street Historic District in St. Charles for eight years. They live in Kirkwood, Missouri.
