Lyman Gibbons (June 3, 1808 – June 27, 1879) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 1852 to 1854.

Early life, education and career

Born in DormansvilleAmherst College, ''Obituary Record: Roll of Graduates deceased during the Year 1879-1880; Deaths Not Previously Reported'' (1880), p. 187. or Westerlo,http://judicial.alabama.gov/Docs/library/Bios/LymanGibbons.pdf

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to John and Elizabeth (Hall) Gibbons, Lyman Gibbons graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1830, and spent six months working at Vermont's Chelsea Academy before reading law with

Jacob Collamer Jacob Collamer (January 8, 1791 – November 9, 1865) was an American politician from Vermont. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives, as Postmaster General in the cabinet of President Zachary Taylor, and as a U.S. Senator. Born in Tr ...

, then a Vermont state court judge, in

Royalton, Vermont Royalton is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,750 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Royalton, South Royalton, and North Royalton. Vermont Law School, the state's only accredited law school, i ...

. Gibbons moved to

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

in 1833, where he taught at Spring Hill College while continuing to study law. He was admitted to the bar in 1834 and entered law practice the following spring, in Claiborne, Alabama, in partnership with

James Dellet James Dellet (February 18, 1788December 21, 1848) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama. Biography Early life He was born on February 18, 1788 in Camden, New Jersey. He moved to Co ...

. Gibbons traveled to Europe around 1845, remaining there for two years and studying civil law in France. He then returned to the United States and practiced law in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1847 until 1849, when he resumed his practice in Mobile.

Judicial service and later life

In 1851, Gibbons was appointed to a vacant seat on the Alabama Sixth Judicial Circuit. He was elected to a second term in 1852, but in December of that year was appointed by Governor

Henry W. Collier Henry Watkins Collier (January 17, 1801 – August 28, 1855 in Bailey Springs, Alabama) was the 14th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1849 to 1853. He was born in Lunenburg County, Virginia, son of James Collier and Elizabeth Boul ...

to a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court vacated by the resignation of

Edmund S. Dargan Edmund Strother Dargan (April 15, 1805 – November 22, 1879) was a U.S. Representative from Alabama, and then a representative to the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War. Son of William & Frances Dargan, he was born nea ...

. Gibbons served in that capacity for just over one year, resigning in January 1854; he was not replaced on the court, as the legislature had reduced the number of seats from five to three during the previous year.A History of the Alabama Judicial System
Gibbons returned to

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

to work as a planter. In 1861, he represented Monroe County as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1861, which passed the

ordinances of secession Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

. After the end of the American Civil War, he resumed his legal practice.

Personal life

Gibbons married the daughter of James Dellet, Emma Eugenia Dellet, in 1853. They had one child, a daughter. Gibbons died of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

at his summer home in Claiborne, Alabama.

References

Justices of the Supreme Court of Alabama U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 1808 births 1879 deaths People from Albany County, New York Amherst College alumni 19th-century American judges {{Alabama-state-judge-stub