Gary Boswell was sworn in Tuesday as the next 8th District Senator. He is a lifelong Daviess County resident and current farmer who also owned a business for 30 years before focusing on real estate investment locally.
Boswell ran unopposed for the set left open by Matt Castlen, who did not run for re-election and endorsed Boswell. He will represent Daviess, Hancock, and McLean counties.
Boswell does have some political experience, though it came years ago. He said that in 1989 he was the first Republican elected to a county office (he was elected as a commissioner) since 1917.
During that time, he lobbied for infrastructure improvements such as better roads in Daviess County. Boswell said while that was the extent of his career in a public office, he’s been to Frankfort multiple times over the years to meet with various legislators on issues facing the community.
“I kind of know the ropes up here [as a citizen activist], and now … I’ll be on the other side so that people would come in to talk to me about all these issues,” Boswell said previously.
Boswell also takes pride in calling himself a family man, and said that was a big factor in his decision to run for the Senate seat. He’s been married nearly half a decade, and he and his wife have 6 children and 14 grandchildren.
“I’m just very concerned about the future for my children and my grandchildren,” Boswell said earlier this year. “We’ve got a wonderful state and great district, very conservative people. I’m just excited about the possibility of getting that opportunity to represent the people of the 8th District.”
Boswell’s experience as a local business owner and his dedication to adding people to the local workforce are also things he plans to carry forward.
In 1980, Boswell and his wife created the business Temporary Professionals, a staffing agency. At that time they only had two or three employees, but by the time the Boswells sold the business around 2010, they had more than 500 employees. That business is still active under new ownership with the name Paramount Staffing.
“After a very short period of time, people that did a good job working for us were allowed to be hired as permanent employees,” he said previously. “Over the years, we helped literally thousands of people get permanent, full-time employment with benefits, which is what our ultimate goal was.”
Now, Boswell’s primary focus is as a farmer. He owns more than 1,000 acres of land in Daviess, Henderson and Muhlenberg counties. In addition to farming, Boswell also now spends more time as a real estate investor.
Boswell is also active with several organizations in the community. In addition to being an active member of Heritage Baptist Church for nearly four decades, Boswell is involved with Friends of Sinners, Right to Life of Owensboro, and Care Net Owensboro. He’s also a longtime member of the National Rifle Association.
