David Vitter is a Partner of Mercury in Washington, D.C., and leads the development of Mercury’s Gulf South operations. He helps clients with strategic government relations.

Prior to joining Mercury, Vitter became the first Republican elected by the people to represent Louisiana in the U.S. Senate. He served two terms there, where he chaired the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and was the top-ranking Republican on the Committee on the Environment and Public Works. In the latter role, he crafted and passed major legislation including: the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, a landmark Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform that passed with historic, bipartisan support; the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA); and the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (FAST Act). He also achieved substantial reform within federal agencies like the EPA, and was an active member of the Judiciary, Banking, Commerce, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations Committees.

Vitter also served in the U.S. House, where he represented Louisiana’s 1st District. After winning his seat in a special election in 1999, he went on to be reelected twice. He was active on the Appropriations, Transportation and Infrastructure, Judiciary, and Budget Committees. ‎ Prior to being elected to Congress, he served in the Louisiana House of Representatives and was a business attorney.

David earned a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University (Magna Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa‎), a Master’s with Highest Honors from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and a Juris Doctor from Tulane Law School, where he was Articles Editor of the Law Review. He and his wife, U.S. District Court Judge Wendy Vitter, live in New Orleans, Louisiana, where their five children (including one son-in-law) visit them regularly.