Newton Leroy Gingrich (born June 17, 1943) served as the 50th speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A professor of history and geography at the University of West Georgia in the 1970s, Mr. Gingrich won election to the 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. A coauthor and architect of the “Contract with America,” he was a major leader of the Republican victory in the 1994 congressional election. In 1995, Time magazine named him “Man of the Year” for “his role in ending the four-decades-long Democratic majority in the House.”
As House speaker, Mr. Gingrich oversaw passage of welfare reform and a capital gains tax cut in 1997. Various factors, including a poor showing by Republicans in the 1998 congressional elections, resulted in his resignation from the speakership on November 6, 1998. He resigned from the House altogether on January 3, 1999.
In 2012, Newt Gingrich ran for the Republican nomination for president and was considered a potential frontrunner at several points. After being 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 he was reportedly among the finalists on the short list for running mate in the 2016 election.
Since leaving the House, Mr. Gingrich has authored numerous books, remained active in public policy debates, and worked as a political consultant. He has also founded and chaired several policy think tanks, including American Solutions for Winning the Future and the Center for Health Transformation.
To read more, subscribe to Ami
