He was
consul suffectus in the
nundinium of July–December 48 as the colleague of
Lucius Vitellius. J. Devrecker has offered the argument that the elements in his name ought to be set out as
Gaius Messalla Vipstanus Gallus. Gallus has been identified as the
proconsul of
Asia for the term 59/60. Based on the elements of his
cognomen Messalla,
Ronald Syme suggested that Vipstanus Messalla Gallus was the son of
Lucius Vipstanus Gallus and a postulated Valeria Messallia, paternal granddaughter of
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus. He succeeded as
consul suffectus Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola Messalla, who completed his consulate in July 48, and who has been suggested to have been his brother, also based on the elements of his
cognomeni Poplicola Messalla. It is also surmised that Gallus is the father of the orator
Lucius Vipstanus Messalla. Gallus' wife had earlier been married to Lucius Aquillius Lucius filius Regulus, the
pontifex and
quaestor of
Tiberius mentioned in , and by whom she had a son named
Marcus Aquilius Regulus. She has not yet been identified. ==References==