William Channing Gibbs (February 10, 1787February 21, 1871) was the tenth

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...

from 1821 to 1824.

Early life

Gibbs was born in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

, the son of George Gibbs II and Mary Channing. He served in the state militia, rising to the rank of major general.

Family

Governor Gibbs was married to Mary Kane, with whom he had ten children. One daughter, Sarah Gibbs, married

Robert Means Thompson Robert Means Thompson (2 March 1849 – 5 September 1930) was a United States Navy officer, business magnate, philanthropist and a president of the American Olympic Association. He is the namesake of the destroyer USS ''Thompson'' (DD-627). B ...

, a naval officer, business executive and president of the American Olympic Association. Thompson also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

. His son, Theodore K. Gibbs (born in 1840), served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the

1st Artillery First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

in October 1861 and was promoted to 1st lieutenant in February 1862. He received brevets (honorary promotions) to the ranks of captain and major for gallantry in action at the battles of

Olustee, Florida Olustee is an unincorporated community in Baker County, Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the nor ...

and

Cold Harbor, Virginia Cold Harbor is an unincorporated community in Hanover County, Virginia. The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought in the area in 1864, during the American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by ...

respectively. He was a companion of the Massachusetts Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. He resigned from the Army in May 1870 and lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

and

until his death in 1909. Another son, Eugene Beauharnais Gibbs (born in 1833), served as a captain in the 2nd California Infantry during the Civil War. After the war, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant the 8th Infantry in the Regular Army, rose to the rank of captain, and served until his death in 1882.

Political career

He was a representative in Rhode Island's General Assembly from 1816 to 1820. He served as governor from May 2, 1821, to May 5, 1824. During the three terms that he was governor, the state ballot held the question of expanding suffrage, but it was constantly rejected. In his last term, a Constitutional Convention drafted a document about voting rights, nevertheless, the proposed State Constitution was rejected by the voters. Gibbs died on February 21, 1871, at the age of 84Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States
/ref> and is buried in the

Island Cemetery The Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery are a pair of separate cemeteries on Farewell and Warner Street in Newport, Rhode Island. Together they contain over 5,000 graves, including a colonial-era slave cemetery and Jewish graves. The pair o ...

in Newport with his wife and his son Theodore Kane Gibbs.

References

External links

Robert Means Thompson http://www.suvcw.org/mollus/pcinc/rmthompson.htm
National Governors Association Bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbs, William 1787 births 1871 deaths Governors of Rhode Island Rhode Island Democratic-Republicans Politicians from Newport, Rhode Island Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States 19th-century American politicians