BANKS, James E., a Representative and a Senator from Indiana; born in Columbia City, Whitley County, Ind., July 16, 1979; graduated from Columbia City High School, Columbia City, Ind., 1997; B.A., Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., 2004; M.B.A., Grace College and Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind., 2013; United States Navy Reserve, 2012-present, Afghanistan War Veteran, 2014-2015; commercial real estate broker; chairman, Whitley County, Ind., Republican Party, 2007-2011; member of the Whitley County, Ind. Council, 2008-2010; member of the Indiana state senate, 2010-2016; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Fifteenth and to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2017-January 3, 2025); was not a candidate for reelection to the House of Representatives but was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 2024 for the term ending January 3, 2031.