A native of Flowood, Andy Gipson currently serves as Mississippi’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. He replaced Cindy Hyde-Smith when she was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Phil Bryant in 2018.
Gipson received a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1999 from Mississippi College and a Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law in 2002
He has owned and managed a cattle operation in Simpson County for more than 20 years and a tree farm since 2004. He is a member of the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association and the Simpson County Development Foundation.
Gipson represented House District 77 in the state House of Representatives from 2008-2018 – serving as chairman of the House Judiciary B Committee from 2012-2018 and chairman of the Ethics Committee from 2016-2018. He also served on the House Agriculture, Appropriations, Ways and Means, County Affairs, Insurance, Municipalities, and Transportation committees.
He is a minister and has served as pastor of Gum Springs Baptist Church since 2011. Gipson and his wife, Leslie, have four children — Joseph, Benjamin, Abigail and Sarah. They live on their small working farm in Simpson County.