Born in Garnett, Kansas and raised in Parker, Kansas, Sam Brownback was born to a farming family of German descent who settled in Kansas after leaving Pennsylvania following the Civil War. Brownback was state president of Future Farmers of America, and eventually went on to become the national vice president from 1976-1977. While at Kansas State University, he was elected student body president and was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho. He received his J.D. from the University of Kansas in 1982.