Brian Gregory Gosch (born May 26, 1971) is an American politician and attorney from the state of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. He was a member of the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided in ...

, and served as the

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

from 2013 to 2015. In November 2014, he was elected as Majority Leader of the

beginning in the 2015 session. He was replaced as Speaker of the House by Dean Wink.

Early life, education, and career

Gosch was born in

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen ( Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre. The city population was 28,495 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populous cit ...

. He attended high school at Martin Luther Prep School in

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was est ...

. He graduated from the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...

in 1993 and then attended the

University of South Dakota School of Law The University of South Dakota School of Law also known as University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law or USD Law in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, is a professional school of the University of South Dakota and the only law school in ...

, graduating in 1996.

Career

He became an attorney for South Dakota Advocacy Services for people with disabilities in

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

. He was appointed to the South Dakota House by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Mike Rounds Marion Michael Rounds (born October 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 31st governor of South Dakota ...

in 2007, succeeding

Alan Hanks Alan Hanks (born April 4, 1960) is an American politician. He served on the Rapid City Council from 1996 to 2004, in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2004 to 2007, and as mayor of Rapid City from 2007 to 2011. Background Hanks was ...

, who resigned his seat after winning the mayoralty of Rapid City. In 2013, Gosch was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 87th Legislative Assembly, a post he held until 2015. The previous year, Gosch proposed classifying

texting while driving Texting while driving, also called texting and driving, is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle. Texting while driving is considered extremely dangerous by many people, includ ...

as a statewide secondary offense. As of 2021, Gosch serves as a governmental affairs representative for the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...

Personal life

Gosch and his wife, Heather, have six children.

References

External links

* * 1971 births Living people Politicians from Aberdeen, South Dakota Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives Speakers of the South Dakota House of Representatives University of South Dakota alumni University of South Dakota School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians {{SouthDakota-politician-stub