Henry Victor Gaston (born January 15, 1943) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was the Acting Speaker of the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

.Legislature biography
/ref> He is also the Dean of Alabama House Republicans.

Biography

Early life

Victor Gaston was born on January 15, 1943. He received a B.S. from the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

, an M.A. from the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...

, and Ed.D. from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

Career

He worked as a school administrator and

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

Alabama House of Representatives

Gaston was first elected to represent the 100th district in the

in 1982. He was elected by his colleagues to serve as

Speaker Pro Tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

in December 2010 for a special session after the Republicans gained a majority during the 2010 mid-term elections. He was re-elected to full four-year terms in 2011 and 2015.

Acting Speaker of the House

Gaston became the Acting Speaker of the Alabama House of House per state law and House rules after incumbent Speaker Mike Hubbard was convicted on 12 felony counts of public corruption. Alabama law requires any public office holder immediately removed from office if they have been convicted of a felony. Gaston served as Acting Speaker until the full House reconvened to elect Mac McCutcheon as the permanent Speaker. With the chamber adjourned ''sine die'' for the rest of 2016, Gov. Robert J. Bentley would have to call a special session or the election of a permanent Speaker would have to wait until the House reconvenes in February 2017. In June 2016, Gaston announced that he would seek the job of Speaker on a permanent basis.

Public service

He also sits on the Advisory Council for the Assistance League of Mobile, the

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in the United State ...

(ALEC), the State Building Commission, and the Southwest Alabama division of the

National Mental Health Association National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

. He is a member of

Phi Delta Kappa PDK International (also known as PDK or Phi Delta Kappa International) is a US professional organization for educators. Its main office is in Arlington, Virginia. It was founded on January 24, 1906. Membership Currently, membership consists o ...

, and a former member of the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the United States Energy Council. Additionally, he serves on the Boards of

Volunteers of America Volunteers of America (VOA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 that provides affordable housing and other assistance services primarily to low-income people throughout the United States. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the organiz ...

, the Penelope House, Home of Grace for Women, Mobile Mental Health Center, the Mobile Association of Retarded Citizens, and Alabama 4-H Club Foundation.

Personal life

He is married with two sons. He serves as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

at the Springhill Baptist Church in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, which was founded in 1949.Spring Hill Baptist Church: Our History
/ref>

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaston, Victor 1943 births 21st-century American politicians Auburn University alumni Baptists from Alabama Living people Republican Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives Speakers of the Alabama House of Representatives University of South Alabama alumni University of Southern Mississippi alumni