John La Porte Gibbs (May 3, 1838 – November 28, 1908) was a Minnesota legislator, two-time Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.
John L. Gibbs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 14th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office January 5, 1897 – January 3, 1899 | |
| Governor | David Marston Clough |
| Preceded by | Frank A. Day |
| Succeeded by | Lyndon A. Smith |
| 14th Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
| In office 1877–1877 | |
| Preceded by | William R. Kinyon |
| Succeeded by | Charles A. Gilman |
| 17th Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
| In office 1885–1885 | |
| Preceded by | Loren Fletcher |
| Succeeded by | William Rush Merriam |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
| In office 1864-1866 1876-1878 1885-1887 1895-1897 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 3, 1838 Bradford County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 28, 1928 (aged 90) Owatonna, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Martha Partridge Robson |
| Profession | farmer, lawyer, county attorney, legislator, railroad commissioner |
Life and career
editGibbs was born in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in 1838 to Eli and Caroline Gibbs (née Atwood), both of whom were descendants of early settlers of Massachusetts and Connecticut (respectively). He was raised on his parents farm and attended schools in Le Raysville, Pennsylvania and at the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute in Towanda, Pennsylvania before attending the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 1861.[1]
Gibbs moved west, traveling through Illinois and Iowa before settling in Albert Lea, Minnesota and working as a teacher. In 1862 he was elected attorney for Freeborn County, Minnesota. In 1863 he was elected to his first of five terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives as a Republican, serving from 1864 to 1866, 1876–1878, 1885–1887 and 1895–1897. He also twice served as speaker, in 1877 and 1885. After his time in the state legislature Gibbs also served as Lieutenant Governor under Governor David Marston Clough from January 5, 1897, to January 3, 1899.[1][2]
While he had studied law, Gibbs earned his living as a farmer and owned property outside Geneva, Minnesota. He occasionally lectured on agricultural topics and was particularly well known as a dairy farmer, even winning election as president of the Minnesota Dairymen's Association in 1893.[1][3]
Gibbs died on November 28, 1908, in Owatonna, Minnesota.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Shutter, Marion Daniel (1897). Progressive Men of Minnesota. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Journal. pp. 340–341. hdl:2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t6154vq0r.
- ^ a b "Gibbs, John La Porte — Legislator Record". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
- ^ Proceedings of the 31st Annual Meeting of the Minnesota State Dairyman's Association. Journal Publishing Company. 1909. p. 145.