By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The former Speaker of the Missouri House, Catherine Hanaway, is now eastern Missouri's federal prosecutor.
She was sworn in Tuesday as interim U.S. Attorney. Her nomination to the post by President Bush still awaits Senate confirmation.
Hanaway, 41, replaces James Martin, who resigned as interim U-S attorney. He had filled the void left when Raymond Gruender left last year to become a judge with the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, also in St. Louis.
Hanaway's appointment by President Bush in April came six months after she was defeated by Democrat Robin Carnahan in the race for Missouri Secretary of State.
Hanaway, a native of St. Louis County, was elected to the Missouri House in 1998, and was selected as Speaker in 2003. She also garners a lot of credit for major wins by Republicans in recent years. This year marked the first time in more than 80 years that Republicans control the governor's office, along with the state House and Senate.