Gib Lewis

Who is Gib Lewis?

Gibson Donald "Gib" Lewis is a political consultant and a former Democratic party politician from Fort Worth, Texas. He was the first person to be elected five times as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, but did not seek reelection in 1993, in compliance with a plea bargain agreement connected with his misdemeanor conviction of a violation of Texas financial disclosure law.

A Texas Speaker of the House, Lewis spent his formative years in Cleveland, Texas. He graduated from Cleveland High School in 1955 and enrolled at Sam Houston State College in Huntsville, Texas located in the East Texas' Walker County. Lewis was elected Speaker in 1983 to succeed Billy Wayne "Bill" Clayton of Springlake, Lamb County. He was a key figure in passing the 1984 education act, designed by Ross Perot and Democratic Governor Mark Wells White, hailed at the time as one of the most sweeping public education reforms in Texas history. He was instrumental in the passage of the 1985 comprehensive Texas Water Plan. He later led legislation to combat crime, including stricter laws against drunk drivers. An avid sportsman, Lewis carried legislation creating the "Operation Game Thief" program and was a sponsor of the Uniform Game Management Act.