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
GovernorDavid Marston Clough
Preceded byFrank A. Day
Succeeded byLyndon A. Smith
14th Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
1877–1877
Preceded byWilliam R. Kinyon
Succeeded byCharles A. Gilman
17th Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
1885–1885
Preceded byLoren Fletcher
Succeeded byWilliam Rush Merriam
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
1864-1866
1876-1878
1885-1887
1895-1897
Personal details
Born(1838-05-03)May 3, 1838
Bradford County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedNovember 28, 1928(1928-11-28) (aged 90)
Owatonna, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMartha Partridge Robson
Professionfarmer, lawyer, county attorney, legislator, railroad commissioner

Life and career

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Gibbs 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

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  1. ^ a b c Shutter, Marion Daniel (1897). Progressive Men of Minnesota. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Journal. pp. 340–341. hdl:2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t6154vq0r.
  2. ^ a b "Gibbs, John La Porte — Legislator Record". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
  3. ^ Proceedings of the 31st Annual Meeting of the Minnesota State Dairyman's Association. Journal Publishing Company. 1909. p. 145.
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
1897 – 1899
Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
1877
Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
1885
Succeeded by