Newt Gingrich
Born in 1943 in Pennsylvania, he is 67 years old.
Gingrich was born into a military family, moving several times in childhood. He received his Bachelor's degree in History from Emory University in Atlanta, and went on to receive a Master's degree in 1968. That same year, he acted as Souther Regional Director for Nelson Rockefeller's 1968 presidential campaign. In 1971, he attained a Ph.D in Modern European History from Tulane University in New Orleans.
From 1970 to 1978, during and following his Ph.D studies, Gingrich taught at the University of West Georgia. During that time, he tried twice to get elected to the House of Representatives for Georgia's sixth district, losing both times to incumbent Jack Flynt. Finally, in 1978, with Jack Flynt declining to run again, Gingrich was elected to the House of Representatives.
When Dick Cheney was appointed Secretary of Defense, leaving vacant the position of Minority Whip, Gingrich was narrowly elected by House Republicans. In 1994, then Minority Leader Bob Michel did not run for another term, and thus Newt Gingrich was elected Speaker of the House following the Republican Revolution that took Congress for the Republicans for the first time in 40 years.
A major factor in the Republican Revolution was Gingrich's "Contract for America," his plan for the country that centered around 10 policies that the Republicans promised to bring to a vote in the first 100 days of the Congressional session, were they to be elected to the majority.
As Speaker, Gingrich was instrumental in both the budget showdown that led to multiple government shutdowns and the 1997 balanced budget signed into law by President Clinton.
Facing Republican losses, poor poll ratings, and leadership challenges, Gingrich resigned from his seat shortly after being reelected in 1998.
Gingrich has often been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, particularly for 2012, and officially announced a sort of exploratory committee on March 3, 2011 called "Newt Exploratory 2012."
