Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich
Gingrich in 2022
50th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office
January 4, 1995 – January 3, 1999
Preceded byTom Foley
Succeeded byDennis Hastert
Leader of the House Republican Conference
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999
Preceded byRobert H. Michel
Succeeded byDennis Hastert
House Minority Whip
In office
March 20, 1989 – January 3, 1995
LeaderRobert H. Michel
Preceded byDick Cheney
Succeeded byDavid Bonior
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 6th district
In office
January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1999
Preceded byJohn Flynt
Succeeded byJohnny Isakson
Personal details
Born
Newton Leroy McPherson

(1943-06-17) June 17, 1943 (age 81)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Jackie Battley
​
​
(m. 1962; div. 1981)​
Marianne Ginther
​
​
(m. 1981; div. 2000)​
​
(m. 2000)​
Children2
RelativesCandace Gingrich (maternal half-sibling)
EducationEmory University (BA)
Tulane University (MA, PhD)
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Newt Gingrich's voice
Gingrich speaks in support of an amendment involving land swaps to an agriculture appropriations bill
Recorded February 29, 1996

Newton Leroy Gingrich (/ˈɡɪŋɡrɪtʃ/; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for Georgia's 6th congressional district serving north Atlanta and nearby areas from 1979 until his resignation in 1999. In 2012, Gingrich unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president of the United States.

In the 1970s, Gingrich was a professor of history and geography at the University of West Georgia. He won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1978, the first Republican in the history of Georgia's 6th congressional district to do so. He served as House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995.[1][2] A co-author and architect of the "Contract with America", Gingrich was a major leader in the Republican victory in the 1994 congressional election. In 1995, Time named him "Man of the Year" for "his role in ending the four-decades-long Democratic majority in the House".[3]

As House Speaker, Gingrich oversaw passage by the House of welfare reform in 1996 and a capital gains tax cut in 1997. Gingrich played a key role in several government shutdowns, and impeached President Bill Clinton on a party-line vote in the House. A disappointing showing by Republicans in the 1998 congressional elections, a reprimand from the House for Gingrich's ethics violation, and pressure from Republican colleagues resulted in Gingrich's announcing that he would not run for the speakership in the upcoming congress, resigning from the House on January 3, 1999, the same day his term as speaker ended.[4] Academics have credited Gingrich with playing a key role in hastening political polarization and partisanship.[5][6][7][8][9][page needed]

Since leaving the House, Gingrich has remained active in public policy debates and worked as a political consultant. He founded and chaired several policy think tanks, including American Solutions for Winning the Future and the Center for Health Transformation. Gingrich ran for the Republican nomination for president in the 2012 presidential election, and was considered a potential frontrunner at several points in the race.[10] Despite a late victory in the South Carolina primary, Gingrich was ultimately unable to win enough primaries to sustain a viable candidacy. He withdrew from the race in May 2012, and endorsed eventual nominee Mitt Romney. Gingrich later emerged as a key ally of President Donald Trump, and was reportedly among the finalists on Trump's short list for running mate in the 2016 election.[11] Since 2020, Gingrich has supported Donald Trump's claims of a stolen election, and claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.[12]

  1. ^ Patrick, John J.; Pious, Richard M.; Ritchie, Donald A. (July 4, 2001). The Oxford Guide to the United States Government. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 264. ISBN 9780195142730.
  2. ^ "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: Gingrich, Newton Leroy". bioguide.congress.gov/. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  3. ^ "Gingrich's Path From 'Flameout' To D.C. Entrepreneur". NPR. December 8, 2011. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  4. ^ "Did Gingrich leave speakership". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Zelizer, Julian (2020). Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party. Penguin.
  10. ^ "Gingrich tops polls in Iowa, South Carolina, North Carolina and Colorado". PoconoRecord.com. December 6, 2011. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  11. ^ The Unprecedented 2016 Presidential Election | Rachel Bitecofer | Palgrave Macmillan. p. 146. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  12. ^ Mastrangelo, Dominick (December 22, 2020). "Gingrich won't accept Biden as president, says Democrats, Republicans 'live in alternative worlds'". The Hill. Retrieved January 24, 2022.