Newt Gingrich: 2012 Presidential Profile

Personal Information

Newton Leroy “Newt” Gingrich was born Newton Leroy McPherson on June 17, 1943 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Kathleen “Kit’ and Newton Searles McPherson. Hew grew up in Hummelstown, a small nearby borough. His biological parents were not married but a short time, and divorced.

In 1946, his mother married Army officer Robert Gingrich, who adopted Newt.

Newt has three younger half-sisters.

Robert Gingrich was a career military man, so the family moved a number of times throughout Newt’s childhood.

Education
1961- Graduated from Baker High School in Columbus, Georgia
1965- Received a B.A. in history from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia
1968- Received an M.A. at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana
1971- Received a PhD in modern European history from  Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana

Family
Married to Callista, which is his third wife. He has two daughters and two grandchildren.

in 1962 her married his former high school geometry teacher, Jackie Battley. He was 19–years-old and she was 26-years old. Newt and Jackie have two daughters together. After having an affair with Marianne Ginther, Newt left Jackie in 1980.

In 1981, six months after his divorce was final from Jackie, he married Marianne Ginther. In the mid-1990’s, he began having an affair with a House of Representatives staffer, Callista Bisek, who is 23 years younger than he is. Ironically, their affair was going on during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. It was during this time that Newt Gingrich became a leader of the Republican investigation of President Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged affairs.

After his divorce from Marianne, Newt and Callista married in 2000. They currently live in McLean, Virginia.

Facing His Infidelities
Newt Gingrich gave an interview with David Brody of Christian Broadcasting Network in 2011, and when talking about his infidelities, he said:

 “There’s no question at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate.”

Religious Beliefs
He was raised a Lutheran, but  while at Tulane, he began attending the St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church to pursue an interest in the- effect of religion on political theory. It was not long before he was baptized by Rev. G. Avery Lee, and officially became a Southern Baptist.

In 2009, he converted to Catholicism, which is his current wife Callista’s faith.  There was a  specific event in 2008 that was the deciding factor in his decision to convert- he day he saw Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to the United States. Of this decision, he stated:

“Over the course of several years, I gradually became Catholic and then decided one day to accept the faith I had already come to embrace. Catching a glimpse of Pope Benedict that day, I was struck by the happiness and peacefulness he exuded. The joyful and radiating presence of the Holy Father was a moment of confirmation about the many things I had been thinking and experiencing for several years.”

He has said that he now has a greater appreciation for the role of faith in public life after his conversion. He also says he believes that the United States has become too secular. While speaking in Columbus, Ohio in 2001, he said:

“In America, religious belief is being challenged by a cultural elite trying to create a secularized America, in which God is driven out of public life.”

Bizarre Fact
In 1995, he was bitten on the chin by a baby cougar during an appearance with TV host and zoologist Jack Hanna.

Professional Career
Present- Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Distinguished Visiting Scholar/Professor, National Defense University
2003 to Present- Founder, Center for Health Transformation
2000 to Present- Honorary Chairman, NanoBusiness Alliance
1999 to Present- Founder, Gingrich Group
1999 to Present- Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
1999 to 2011- News and Political Analyst, FOX News Channel
September 1993- Guest Professor, Kennesaw State College
1970 to 1978- Professor, History and Environmental Studies, West Georgia College

Political Career
1979 to 1999-  Representative, United States House of Representatives
1995 to 1998- Speaker of the House, United States House of Representatives,
1996- Chair, Republican National Convention
1989 to 1994- Republican Whip, United States House of Representatives

Political Campaigns
1964- Congressional Campaign Manager
1968- Southern regional director for Nelson Rockefeller
1974- Unsuccessfully ran for Congress in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District
1976- A second unsuccessful run for Congress in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District
1978- Ran a third time for Congress in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District and won. He was re-elected 6 times from this district, and only once was it a close race. In 1990, he defeated Democrat David Worley by only 978 votes.

2012 Presidential Campaign
Very early on in his campaign for the 2012 Republican nomination for the Presidency, he faced numerous challenges from the standpoint of his campaign staff.

Newt Gingrich Campaign Loses Two More
Newt Stands Alone 
Newt Gingrich: That Ship Has Sailed
Newt Goes From Bad To Worse 

Organizations
Present- Chair, American Solutions Political Action Committee
Present- General Chair, American Solutions for Winning the Future
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Advisory Board Member, Common Good
Member, Committee on the Present Danger
Co-Founder, Conservative Opportunity Society
Member, Terrorism Task Force, Council on Foreign Relations
Honorary Member, East Cobb Rotary
Advisory Board Member, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
Editorial Board Member, Johns Hopkins University Journal, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism
Board Member, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Member, Kiwanis
Founding Member, Project Vote Smart
Member, World Futurist Society
Founder, Young Republicans Club, Emory University
Former Chairman, GOPAC

Caucuses/Non-Legislative Committees
Present- Member, Defense Policy Board
Present- Co-Chair, National Commission for Quality Long-term Care
1999- Member, United States Commission on National Security/21st Century

Awards
2001- Science Coalition’s first Science Pioneer award
1995- Time Magazine’s Man of the Year, 1995
1998 – Legislative Conservationist of the Year, Georgia Wildlife Federation
1995- Georgia Citizen of the Year, March of Dimes

Contract With America
In the 1994 campaign Newt Gingrich, along with the help of other Republicans, came up with a Contract with America which laid out ten policies that the Republican party promised to bring to a vote on the House floor during the first hundred days of the new Congress if they won the election. True to their word, Congress fulfilled their promise to bring all ten of the Contract’s issues to a vote within the first 100 days of the session, though most legislation was initially held up in the Senate.

Ethics Issues
Newt Gingrich is the only Speaker of the House in the history of the United States of America to have been disciplined for ethic violations. During his term as Speaker of the House, eighty-four charges were filed against him. Eighty-three of the charged were dropped.

The one remaining was regarding a 20-hour college course called “Renewing American Civilization” that Gingrich had taught through a tax-deductible foundation, Kennesaw State College Foundation. The allegations of tax improprieties- which were never proven- led to two counts “of failure to seek legal advice” and one count of “providing the committee with information which he knew or should have known was inaccurate” concerning the use of a tax exempt college course for political purposes. To avoid a full hearing, Gingrich and the House Ethics Subcommittee negotiated a sanctions agreement. Democrats accused him of violating the agreement, but it was forwarded to the House for approval. On January 21, 1997, the House voted 395 to 28 to reprimand Gingrich, which included a $300,000 “cost assessment” to recoup money spent on the investigation. The full committee never agreed on whether or not the tax law had been violated.

In 1999, the IRS cleared all organizations connected with the courses.

On The Issues
Jobs and The Economy

“Creating jobs and getting back to 4% unemployment is the most important step to a balanced budget.”

Tell The Truth About National Security

“We need an honest national dialogue and a determination to be candid about our opponents, honest about the problems, and passionately committed to the survival of America as a free country.”

An American Energy Plan

“Contrary to popular belief, America has more energy than any nation on earth. All that’s keeping us from becoming energy independent is a lack of political will to do so.”

Healthcare

“We must repeal and replace the left’s big government health bill with real solutions that will lower costs and improve health outcomes.”

Protect Life and Religious Liberty

“There is no liberty without religious liberty.”

Executive Orders on the First Day

Imagine it is 3:45 in the afternoon on January 20 2013, shortly after the Inaugural Address, and President Gingrich has just eliminated every White House czar with Executive Order Number One. That would be real change.

Newt has pledged to issue a series of Executive Orders to create jobs and help undo the damage of the Obama administration on the first day of his administration. What other Executive Orders should Newt sign to redirect government on that first day? Submit your ideas!

Published Author
He has authored or co-authored 17 non-fiction books since 1982

1982– The Government’s Role in Solving Societal Problems
1985- Window of Opportunity
1994- Contract with America (co-editor)
1995- Restoring the Dream
1995- Quotations from Speaker Newt
1996- To Renew America
1998- Lessons Learned The Hard Way
1999- Presidential Determination Regarding Certification of the Thirty-Two Major Illicit Narcotics Producing and Transit Countries
2003– Saving Lives and Saving Money
2005- Winning The Future
2006- Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation’s History and Future
2006– The Art of Transformation with Nancy Desmond
2007-  A Contract with the Earth  with Terry L. Maple
2008- Real Change: From the World That Fails to the World That Works
2008-  Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less: A Handbook for Slashing Gas Prices and Solving Our Energy Crisis  with Vince Haley
2009- 5 Principles for a Successful Life: From Our Family to Yours with Jackie Gingrich Cushman
2010-  To Save America: Stopping Obama’s Secular-Socialist Machine with Joe DeSantis

1995- Alternate History Novels and Series with William R. Forstchen
1945

Civil War Series 
2003- Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War
2004- Grant Comes East
2005-  Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory

Pacific War Series 
2007- Pearl Harbor: A Novel of December 8th
2008-  Days of Infamy

Revolutionary War Series 
2009- To Try Men’s Souls: A Novel of George Washington and the Fight for American Freedom
2010-  Valley Forge: George Washington and the Crucible of Victory

Films
2010- Nine Days that Changed the World- Gingrich Productions

On The Web
Newt Gingrich Official Campaign Website
Newt Gingrich on Twitter
Newt Gingrich on Facebook
Newt Gingrich on YouTube
To Save America
On The Gibson Guitar Raid 

In The News
Newt Gingrich: Uninsured Should Receive Health Care Through Charity, Not Government
Newt Gingrich: I’d Fire Ben Bernanke 

_______________________

Sources:
Newt.org
Who2.com
On The Issues 
Project Vote Smart

 

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Rich Mitchell

Rich Mitchell is the editor-in-chief of Conservative Daily News and the president of Bald Eagle Media, LLC. His posts may contain opinions that are his own and are not necessarily shared by Bald Eagle Media, CDN, staff or .. much of anyone else. Find him on twitter, facebook and

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