Newton Leroy Gingrich, (born June 17, 1943) is an American politician who is best known as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. In 1995 he was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year for his role in leading the Republican Revolution in Congress, ending 40 straight years of Democratic majorities in the House. During his tenure as Speaker he represented the public face of the Republican opposition to President Bill Clinton.

A college history professor, prolific author, and staunchly conservative Republican, Gingrich twice ran unsuccessfully for the House before first winning a seat in November 1978. He was re-elected ten times, and his activism as a member of the House’s Republican minority eventually enabled him to succeed Dick Cheney as House Minority Whip in 1989. As a co-author of the 1994 Contract With America, Gingrich was in the forefront of the Republican Party’s dramatic success in the 1994 Congressional elections, and was subsequently elected Speaker. Gingrich’s leadership in Congress was marked by contentious opposition to the policies of the Clinton Administration and Gingrich presided over the House during the impeachment of President Clinton. Public disapproval of the House’s activities, along with the Party’s poor electoral results in the 1998 elections, amidst criticism of his ethics and adulterous personal life, led Gingrich to resign his position and his seat.

Subsequently, Gingrich has maintained a career as a political analyst and consultant, and continues to write works related to government and other subjects such as historical fiction. He has expressed interest in being a candidate for the 2008 Republican nomination for the Presidency.

1943-1978: Early Life and Education

He was born Newton McPherson in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the son of Newton Searles McPherson and Kathleen Daugherty. His parents separated soon after Newt’s birth, and his mother raised him by herself until she married Robert Gingrich, who adopted Newt. Gingrich has a younger half-sister, Candace Gingrich, who was born when he was already a young adult. Gingrich rarely saw her when she was growing up.

Gingrich’s adopted surname has been generally pronounced “Ging-ritch” since his entry into public life. However, his adoptive family has always pronounced the name “Gin-grick,” as would be customary in the Pennsylvania Dutch ethnic milieu.

Gingrich attended school at various military installations and graduated from Baker High School, Columbus, Georgia, in 1961. He received a B.A.degree from Emory University in Atlanta in 1965. He received an M.A. in 1968 and Ph.D. in 1971 in Modern European History from Tulane University in New Orleans. He taught history at West Georgia College from 1970 to 1978.

1974, 1976, 1978: Elections

In 1974 and 1976, Newt Gingrich made two unsuccessful runs for Congress. Gingrich lost both times to incumbent Democrat Jack Flynt.

Flynt chose not to run for re-election in 1978, and the Democrats fielded state senator Virginia Shapard in his place. Shapard’s support of the ERA backfired against her in the socially conservative district, and Gingrich defeated her by eight points.

1979-1993: United States Representative

Gingrich was reelected ten times, facing only one truly difficult race. That came in 1990 when he barely defeated Democrat David Worley.

Pre-speakership Congressional Activities

In 1981, Gingrich cofounded the Congressional Military Reform Caucus as well as the Congressional Space Caucus. In 1983 he founded the Conservative Opportunity Society, a group that included young conservative House Republicans.

Election of 1992

During the 1990s round of redistricting, Democrats in the Georgia state legislature tried to draw Gingrich’s district out from under him by splitting most of his old territory among two other districts. At the same time, they created a new 6th district located in Fulton and Cobb counties in the wealthy northern suburbs of Atlanta’an area that Gingrich had never represented. However, the plan backfired when Gingrich sold his home in Carrollton, moved to Marietta in the new 6th and won a very close Republican primary. His opponent, a local politician, used Gingrich’s carpetbagger status and the recent House bank scandal against him, and almost pulled an upset. The primary victory was tantamount to election in the new, heavily Republican district.

1994: The Contract with America and Rise to Speakership

In 1994, in an effort to offer a concrete alternative to shifting Democratic policies and to unite distant wings of the Republican Party, Gingrich presented his famous Contract with America, a list of campaign promises given as intended acts of Congress. The contract was signed by himself and other Republican candidates for the House of Representatives. The contract ranged from issues with broad popular support, including welfare reform. term limits, tougher crime laws, and a balanced budget law, to more specialized legislation such as restrictions on American military participation in United Nations missions. In the November elections of 1994, Republicans gained 54 seats and took control of the House for the first time since 1954.

Longtime House Minority Leader Bob Michel had not run for reelection in 1994, giving Gingrich, as the highest-ranking Republican returning to Congress, the inside track to becoming Speaker. The Congress fulfilled Gingrich’s Contract, voting on all ten of the Contract’s issues within the first 100 days of the session. Legislation proposed by the 104th Congress included term limits for Congressional Representatives, tax cuts, welfare reform, and a balanced budget law, as well as independent auditing of the finances of the House of Representatives and elimination of non-essential services such as the House barbershop and shoe shine concessions. While many of the major proposals of the Contract did not become law or were substantially weakened, they represented a dramatic change in the legislative goals and priorities of previous Congresses. The Contract was criticized by the Sierra Club and by the left-leaning labor magazine Mother Jones as a Trojan horse tactic which, while deploying the rhetoric of reform, would have the real effect of allowing corporate polluters to profit at the expense of the environment; it was also accused of being designed to make the rich richer at the expense of the poor and middle class. It was often referred to as the “Contract on America” by its opponents (where a “contract on” somebody is an agreement to have them killed).

Fall from Speakership, Resignation from House

The Republicans expected big gains from the 1998 elections. In fact, Gingrich predicted a 30-seat Republican pickup. Instead, the Republicans lost five seats, the poorest results in 34 years for any party not in control of the White House. Having led the GOP to focus on the impeachment project as a principal strategy, Gingrich took most of the blame for the defeat. Amid threats of a rebellion in his caucus, he announced on November 6 that he would not only stand down as Speaker, but would leave the House as well. He had been elected to an 11th term in that election, but declined to take his seat.

Gingrich’s role as master GOP strategist ended with his resignation from the House and Speakership, but his legacy in politics remains today.

Post-Congressional Life

Gingrich has since remained involved in national politics and public policy debate. He is a senior fellow at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, focusing on health care (he has founded the Center for Health Transformation), information technology, the military, and politics. He sometimes serves as a commentator, guest or panel member on television news shows. He is listed as a contributor by Fox News Channel, and frequently appears as a guest on the channel; he has also hosted occasional specials for the FNC.

Possible 2008 Presidential Run?

Since the release of Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America in January 2005, Gingrich has been mentioned as a potential Presidential candidate in 2008. He has made several trips to Iowa and New Hampshire to discuss his book and on April 1, 2005, David Yepsen wrote in the Des Moines Register that Gingrich was “setting a high standard for what other GOP candidates need to be talking about - and doing - if they want to win here.” Gingrich has voiced criticism against the Republican Party, and has argued that the party must adapt if it is to remain a dominant force in US politics.

Offical Site: Newt.org

Biography Source: Wikipedia

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