Philip Gunn is the 61st Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives. He began serving in the House of Representatives in 2004. On January 3, 2012, he was elected Speaker, the first Republican to hold the gavel in 136 years. Gunn earned a B.B.A. from Baylor and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi Law School, where he was elected Student Body President. He is an attorney at Wells, Marble, Hurst PLLC. Gunn has served on the Executive Committee of the Mississippi Republican Party and has served as Chairman of the Republican House Conference since it was formed in 2006.