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American politician and lawyer (1902–1987)
Raymond W. Karst
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 12th district
In office
January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951
Preceded byWalter C. Ploeser
Succeeded byThomas B. Curtis
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the St. Louis City 3rd district
In office
1935–1936
Personal details
BornRaymond Willard Karst
(1902-12-31)December 31, 1902
St. Louis, Missouri, US
DiedOctober 4, 1987(1987-10-04) (aged 84)
Kirkwood, Missouri, US
Resting placeCalvary Cemetery
PartyDemocratic
OccupationPolitician, lawyer
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army Ordnance Corps
Years of service
1942–1945
RankCaptain
Battles/warsWorld War II

Raymond Willard Karst (December 31, 1902 – October 4, 1987) was an American politician and lawyer. A Democrat, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri.

Biography

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Karst was born on December 31, 1902, in St. Louis, the son of Edgar Taylor Karst and Maymee Josephine (née Kennedy) Karst.[1] Educated at Wyman grade school and St. Louis Academy, he graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1927,[2] with a Bachelor of Laws.[1] In 1926, he was admitted to the bar, after which he began practicing law in St. Louis.[2]

From 1936 to 1940, Karst was a St. Louis provisional judge, as well as judge of the St. Louis Court of Criminal Correction.[2] He also worked in construction and real estate.[3] During World War II, from 1942 to 1945, he was a captain in the United States Army Ordnance Corps.[2] He lived in Frontenac.[3]

Karst was a Democrat. In 1935 and 1936, he represented the St. Louis City 3rd District in the Missouri House of Representatives.[3] He was a member of the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1951, representing Missouri's 12th district. He lost the following election.[2] In 1963, he unsuccessfully ran for the Missouri Senate.[4] Ideologically, he was liberal.[5] He supported lower taxes, a harsher policy against drunk driving, and the end of billboards.[4]

After serving in Congress, Karst joined the general counsel of the Economic Stabilization Agency. He returned to practicing law in 1955, in Clayton. He was later chairman of the board for Karst Enterprises.[2]

On July 25, in either 1934[1] or 1936,[6] Karst married Erma May Meier, with whom he had three children.[1] He was Catholic, as well as a member of the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus.[3] He later moved to Kirkwood, dying there on October 4, 1987, aged 84,[2] while undergoing treatment for respiratory disease.[7] He was buried at the Calvary Cemetery.[2] An archive of his papers is unrealized.[8]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Who's who in America. A.N. Marquis. 1954. p. 1413.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Karst, Raymond Willard". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Political Graveyard: St. Louis city, Mo". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  4. 1 2 "West County Elects Senator Tuesday". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 2 February 1963. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  5. ↑ "KARST, Raymond Willard (1902-1987)". www.voteview.com. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  6. ↑ "Re-elect Raymond W. Karst For U.S. Congress". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 3 August 1952. p. 43. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  7. ↑ "Raymond W. Karst; Lawmaker, Judge, Businessman, Politician". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 6 October 1987. p. 34. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  8. ↑ Boyle, Diane B. (1995). Guide to Research Collections of Former United States Senators, 1789-1995. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 451.
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