Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. of Cape Girardeau is the new president of the State Historical Society of Missouri, elected to the position by the board of trustees at the society's annual meeting Oct. 2 in Columbia, Mo.

Limbaugh, formerly first vice president, is taking over from Doug Crews, who served as president from 2007 to this year.

Limbaugh is a U.S. judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. He previously practiced with the family firm of Limbaugh, Limbaugh & Russell in Cape Girardeau, served as prosecuting attorney of Cape Girardeau County and circuit judge for the 32nd Judicial Circuit in Missouri. He was appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court in 1992 and served 16 years.

The State Historical Society of Missouri was established in 1898 by the Missouri Press Association. The society is on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia. Its mission is to collect, preserve, make accessible and publish the history of Missouri.