Gib Lewis

Gibson Donald "Gib" Lewis (born ca. 1937) is a Democratic U.S. political figure from Fort Worth, Texas. He was the first person to be elected five times as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

He was elected Speaker in 1983 to succeed Billy Wayne "Bill" Clayton of Springlake in Lamb County. He was a key figure in passing the 1984 education act, designed by Ross Perot and Democratic Governor Mark Wells White, which was 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. An avid sportsman, Lewis carried legislation creating the "Operation Game Thief" program and was a sponsor of the Uniform Game Management Act. Lewis did not seek reelection to the House in 1992 and retired as Speaker.

Lewis was elected to the House from Tarrant County in 1970 and named chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources in 1973. He chaired the House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs in 1977. His political career began with his election to the River Oaks City Council in 1969. Born in Oletha in Limestone County, and reared in Mexia, Lewis arrived in Fort Worth, the seat of Tarrant County, as a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed at Carswell AFB.

A successful businessman, Lewis founded Lewis Label Products, a firm which specialized in pressure-sensitive labels. It grew into a multimillion dollar business. He also lobbies state government on behalf of private clients. He is married to the former Sandra Majors.

Indictment on ethics charges

In January 1992, Lewis pleaded no contest to two charges alleging that he illegally accepted a gift from a prominent San Antonio law firm and failed to disclose it on official financial reports filed with the state.

As part of a plea bargain, Lewis agreed to not seek reelection and pay a one thousand dollar fine for each charge.

References

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* Dallas Morning News, The. January 23, 1992. "Lewis pleads no contest to 2 ethics accusations Speaker fined $2,000, spared jail time" Accessible at [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:DMNB:DMNB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0ED3D2145C9BB62A&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0F4FA57713CC6086 Dallas Morning News] retrieved March 27 2007