The Mississippi Legislature gathered Wednesday at the second-floor rotunda of the State Capitol to unveil a portrait of former House Speaker Philip Gunn, the Magnolia Tribune reported.
Gunn, the 61st speaker, was elected to the House in 2004 to represent District 56 and became the first Republican elected speaker in January 2012 after the party won a majority the year before, the Magnolia Tribune reported. The last Republican to hold the post served in 1876 following the Civil War.
During the unveiling, Gunn praised accomplishments from his 12-year tenure and cited passage of HB 1510, which he said led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to the Magnolia Tribune. He also listed legislation protecting the religious rights of business owners and measures that helped prompt a change to the state flag.
Gunn said he and then-Lt. Gov., now Gov., Tate Reeves worked to eliminate a $600,000 deficit and balance the state budget. “And in two or three years, we dug out of that hole and we kept spending under control ever since, not spending more than we have brought in,” he said, the Magnolia Tribune reported. He also pointed to advances in K-12 education, human trafficking laws, income tax cuts, safe-haven baby boxes and tax credits for pregnancy resource centers and adoptive families.
Humbled by the ceremony, Gunn said the portrait “represents just a man who once occupied the office of Speaker for a moment in time in our state’s history.” “There were Speakers before me. There will be Speakers after me. What matters is what we’re going to do with that opportunity that we have while we hold that office,” he said, the Magnolia Tribune reported.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
