Roger T. Sermon was born on November 2, 1891 in Independence, Missouri. He graduated from Independence High School in 1908, and on January 16, 1910 he married Mary Estelle (Stella) Campbell. On February 8, 1915, he was initiated into the Independence Masonic Lodge #76. From 1916 to 1919 he served in the Missouri National Guard in the following capacities: from 1916 to 1917 he served on the Mexican Border as a First Lieutenant; in 1917 he was a Captain in the 129th Field Artillery of the 35th Division, commanding Battery C; and on May 21, 1919 he was honorably discharged from duty. On October 8, 1918, his son Roger T. Sermon, Jr. was born. In 1919, he started a grocery business with Sgt. Powell R. Cook of Battery E called Cook & Sermon. From 1921 to 1924 he was a Councilman in the First Ward and Chairman of the City Light Department. His public service continued in 1924 when he was elected Mayor of Independence, Missouri on April 1, 1924. In 1940, he organized the Eastern Jackson County Democratic Club, and in 1944 he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party Gubernatorial nomination (defeated in the primary by Phil M. Donnelly.) On January 23, 1950, in his twenty-sixth year as Mayor of Independence, Missouri, he accepted a nomination for another four year term. Sermon served as Mayor of Independence, Missouri from 1924 until his death on January 23, 1950, in Independence, Missouri.
From the description of Sermon, Roger T., 1891-1950 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10624837
