Harry Gast

Harry T. Gast, Jr. (September 19, 1920 – July 30, 2015) was a Republican politician from Michigan who served in both houses of the Michigan Legislature and in various local offices between the mid-1950s and 2002. During his final 18 years in the Senate, Gast chaired the appropriations committee.[2][3][4][5]

Harry Gast
Member of the Michigan Senate
In office January 1, 1979 – December 31, 2002
Preceded by	Charles Zollar
Succeeded by	Tom George
Constituency	22nd district (1979–1994) 20th district (1995–2002)
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 43rd district
In office January 1, 1971 – December 31, 1978
Preceded by	Don R. Pears
Succeeded by	Carl Gnodtke
Personal details
Born	(1920-09-19)September 19, 1920 St. Joseph, Michigan
Died	July 30, 2015(2015-07-30) (aged 94) St. Joseph, Michigan
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Vera "Jean" (d. 2016)[1]
Alma mater	Michigan State University
Profession	Farmer

Gast's first elected office was as treasurer of Lincoln Township, an office he held for 18 years. He then became township supervisor for eight years before running for the Michigan House of Representatives. He also served as a member and president of the Evans School board.[3]

A portion of M-63 in Berrien County was named the "Harry Gast Parkway" in 2008,[6] and the Senate Appropriations Committee room in the Michigan State Capitol was named in his honor in 2015.[7]

Gast died on July 30, 2015, aged 94.[8]