Callista Gingrich

Callista Louise Gingrich (née Bisek; born March 4, 1966) is an American politician and businesswoman. She was the United States Ambassador to the Holy See from December 22, 2017 until January 20, 2017 during the Donald Trump presidency. She was the President of Gingrich Productions. She is married to former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.[1]

Callista Gingrich
Callista Gingrich official photo.jpg
United States Ambassador to the Holy See
In office
December 22, 2017 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byKen Hackett
Succeeded byJoe Donnelly
Personal details
Born
Callista Louise Bisek

(1966-03-04) March 4, 1966 (age 58)
Whitehall, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Newt Gingrich (m. 2000)
EducationLuther College, Iowa (BA)
WebsiteGingrich Productions

Ambassadorship

On May 15, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Gingrich to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Holy See.[2] On October 16, 2017, Gingrich was confirmed by the United States Senate with a 70 to 23 vote. She became ambassador on December 22, 2017

Personal life

Callista Bisek met Newt Gingrich in 1993 when he was House Minority Whip and she was working in the office of Congressman Steve Gunderson.[3] Callista testified in 1999 as part of Gingrich's divorce proceedings that she and Newt Gingrich began a six-year affair in 1993 while Newt was married to his second wife, Marianne Gingrich.[4][5] Newt divorced Marianne in December 1999, and on August 18, 2000, Callista and Newt were married in a private ceremony in Alexandria, Virginia.[1]

In 2002, Newt Gingrich, although not a Catholic at the time, asked the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta to officially annul his 19-year marriage to Marianne, on the basis that she had been previously married.[6] Callista, a lifelong Catholic, was instrumental in her husband's conversion to Catholicism in 2009.[7] The Gingriches live in McLean, Virginia.[8]

Callista Gingrich Media

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 National News Briefs; Gingrich Is Married in Alexandria Ceremony. August 20, 2000. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/20/us/national-news-briefs-gingrich-is-married-in-alexandria-ceremony.html. Retrieved August 14, 2010. 
  2. Keff Zeleny (May 15, 2017). "Callista Gingrich set to be named ambassador to the Vatican". CNN. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  3. Jones, Meg (March 11, 2012). "Callista Gingrich still has ties to Whitehall" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (m.jsonline.com). Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  4. Gingrich Friend Dates Affair To '93. November 11, 1999. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-11-11/news/9911110139_1_callista-bisek-georgia-republican-house-speaker-newt-gingrich. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  5. Barron, James; David Rohde; Adam Nagourney (May 4, 2000). "PUBLIC LIVES". The New York Times: 2. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/04/nyregion/public-lives.html. Retrieved January 31, 2012. 
  6. Associated Press (May 12, 2002). "Newt Gingrich Requests Annulment in Atlanta". The Free Lance-Star: D4. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=20020512&id=_PAyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pggGAAAAIBAJ&pg=6711,3257251. Retrieved February 7, 2012. 
  7. Sullivan, Amy (August 24, 2009). Why Newt Gingrich Converted to Catholicism. Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1916297,00.html. Retrieved October 10, 2010. 
  8. Levy, Ariel (January 23, 2012). "The Good Wife". The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/23/120123fa_fact_levy?currentPage=all. Retrieved January 28, 2012. 

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