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Gibbs, John La Porte "J.L."

Sessions Served  red ball graphic  Other Information


Map of Geneva
Geneva, MN

House 1864-65 (District 16); House 1876-77 (District 5); House 1885-86 (District 4); House 1895-96 (District 4)

Party when first elected:  Republican

Counties Served:  Freeborn, Steele, Waseca

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 05/03/1838 Date of Death: 11/28/1908
Birth Place: Pennsylvania Birth County: Bradford Birth Country: United States
Other Names: J.L.
Gender:  Male Religion:  Not Reported
City of Residence (when first elected):  Geneva

Occupation (when first elected):  Lawyer/Former Teacher, Albert Lea

EDUCATION

Bradford County District Schools, Pennsylvania; Elementary School;
Le Raysville Academy, Pennsylvania; Secondary;
Susquehanna Collegiate Institute, Towanda, Pennsylvania; College Graduate; 1860
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Law School; Law Degree; 1861, Admitted to the Bar

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

County AttorneyFreeborn County, MinnesotaElected??/??/1862 to ??/??/18??
State Board/Commission/CouncilMinnesota Railroad and Warehouse Commission (Commissioner, Appointed by Governor A.R. McGill, Reappointed by Governor Merriam)Appointed01/10/1887 to ??/??/18??
State Lieutenant GovernorMinnesotaElected01/05/1897 to 01/03/1899

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Single (when first elected); Martha Partridge Robson (married in 1867 or 1868)
Children: No children
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

Toensing lists him as Speaker of the House in 1876. This is incorrect. The Minnesota Legislative Manuals, 1877 and 1895, Minnesota in Three Centuries, Progressive Men of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Journal of the House, 1877 identify him as Speaker during the 1877 legislative session.

"A year later he was elected on the Republican ticket to the lower house of the legislature..." (Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 340)

"He is prominent in the counsels of the Republican party, with which he has always affiliated..." (Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 341)

"In 1896 he was nominated by the Republicans to the office of lieutenant-governor, and was elected." (Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 340)

He ran for the Republican Party endorsement for Minnesota Governor in the 1886 election. (Minnesota in Three Centuries, Volume 4, p. 143-145)

He came to Albert Lea, Minnesota in 1861 and served for a short time as a school teacher there.

Legislative Session: 29th (1895-1896)   Session Details
Body: House Elected: 11/6/1894 Term of Office: 1/8/1895 to 1/4/1897
District: 04 Residence: Geneva
Counties Represented: Freeborn
Occupation: Dairy Farmer/Attorney
Party: Republican
Committees:
Grain and Warehouse (Chair)
Judiciary
Judiciary Subcommittee: Pleading and Practice
Judiciary Subcommittee: Probate Law
Judiciary Subcommittee: Real Estate (Chair)
Legislative Expenses
Prison Labor
Public Health, Dairy and Food Products
Legislative Session: 24th (1885-1886)   Session Details
Body: House Elected: 11/4/1884 Term of Office: 1/6/1885 to 1/3/1887
District: 04 Residence: Geneva
Counties Represented: Freeborn
Occupation: Farmer
Party: Republican Party Notes: "Mr. Daniels nominated the Hon. John L. Gibbs, of Freeborn County, as the Republican candidate for Speaker. (Minnesota Journal of the House, January 6, 1885, p. 5)
Committees:
Leadership Position: Speaker of the House
Leadership Notes: "Mr. Daniels nominated the Hon. John L. Gibbs, of Freeborn County, as the Republican candidate for Speaker. (Minnesota Journal of the House, January 6, 1885, p. 5)
Legislative Session: 19th (1877)   Session Details
Body: House Elected: 11/7/1876 Term of Office: 1/2/1877 to 1/7/1878
District: 05 Residence: Geneva
Counties Represented: Freeborn
Occupation: Farmer
Party: Republican
Committees:
Leadership Position: Speaker of the House
Legislative Session: 18th (1876)   Session Details
Body: House Elected: 11/2/1875 Term of Office: 1/4/1876 to 1/1/1877
District: 05 Residence: Geneva
Counties Represented: Freeborn
Occupation: Farmer
Party: Republican Party Notes: "He is prominent in the counsels of the Republican party, with which he has always affiliated..." (Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 341)
Committees:
Judiciary
Towns and Counties (Chair)
Legislative Session: 7th (1865)   Session Details
Body: House Elected: 11/8/1864 Term of Office: 1/3/1865 to 1/1/1866
District: 16 Residence: Geneva
Counties Represented: Freeborn, Steele, Waseca
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Republican Party Notes: "He is prominent in the counsels of the Republican party, with which he has always affiliated..." (Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 341)
Committees:
Names
Railroads (Chair)
Legislative Session: 6th (1864)   Session Details
Body: House Elected: 11/3/1863 Term of Office: 1/5/1864 to 1/2/1865
District: 16 Residence: Geneva
Counties Represented: Freeborn, Steele, Waseca
Occupation: Lawyer/Former Teacher, Albert Lea
Party: Republican Party Notes: "A year later he was elected on the Republican ticket to the lower house of the legislature..." (Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 340)
Committees:
Elections (Chair)
Indian Affairs
Ways and Means

OTHER INFORMATION

Articles & Books About
Shutter, Marion Daniel. "John La Porte Gibbs." Progressive Men of Minnesota, Minneapolis: The Minneapolis Journal, 1897, p. 340-341.

John L. (La Porte) Gibbs. Biographical Information from the Minnesota Historical Society's Governors of Minnesota.




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Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, 645 State Office Building, Saint Paul, MN  55155