Harry T. Gast, Jr. (September 19, 1920 – July 30, 2015) was a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
politician from
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
who served in both houses of the
Michigan Legislature and in various local offices between the mid-1950s and 2002. During his final 18 years in the Senate, Gast chaired the appropriations committee.
[The Herald-Palladium: End of an era: Harry Gast ending 57 years of public service (December 21, 2002)]
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Gast's first elected office was as treasurer of Lincoln Township, an office he held for 18 years. He then became township supervisor for eight years before running for the Michigan House of Representatives. He also served as a member and president of the Evans School board.
A portion of M-63 in Berrien County was named the "Harry Gast Parkway" in 2008, and the Senate Appropriations Committee room in the Michigan State Capitol was named in his honor in 2015.
Gast died on July 30, 2015, aged 94.
References
1920 births
2015 deaths
School board members in Michigan
Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives
Republican Party Michigan state senators
People from St. Joseph, Michigan
Michigan State University alumni
Farmers from Michigan
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
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