Charles Gibbons (born July 21, 1901 – February 2, 1968) was a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as the

Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives This is a list of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through ...

from 1953 to 1955 as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. , he was the last Republican to serve as Speaker of the Massachusetts House.

Early life

Gibbons was born on July 21, 1901, in a log cabin on his family's farm in Grider, Kentucky. His father was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister. Gibbons attended Barboursville Baptist College with the intention on becoming a teacher. From 1919 to 1925 he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He later worked for the

Postal Telegraph Company Postal Telegraph Company (Postal Telegraph & Cable Corporation) was a major operator of telegraph networks in the United States prior to its consolidation with Western Union in 1943.Nonnenmacher, TomasHistory of the U.S. Telegraph Industry/ref> Po ...

. In 1932 he started The Minute Man Messenger Service.

Political career

In 1940, Gibbons was an unsuccessful candidate for the

Stoneham, Massachusetts Stoneham ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, nine miles (14.5 km) north of downtown Boston. Its population was 23,244 at the 2020 census. Its proximity to major highways and public transportation offer convenient access to Bos ...

Board of Selectmen. He ran again the following year and was elected easily. In 1942 he was elected to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

. Gibbons soon became a major figure in state Republican politics. In 1949 he was elected Republican floor leader and four years later was elected Speaker of the House. The Republicans lost control of the House in 1955 and Gibbons spent the next two years as Minority Leader. In

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

, Gibbons was the Republican nominee for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, but lost to Robert F. Murphy. After the election he was elected Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee. In 1958, following the death of the Republicans' only gubernatorial candidate,

George Fingold George Fingold (October 18, 1908 – August 31, 1958) was an American politician from Massachusetts who served as Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1958. Fingold's political career began at the age of 21 when he was elected to the ...

, Gibbons ran for the party's nomination as a write-in candidate. He won the nomination, but lost the general election to incumbent

Foster Furcolo John Foster Furcolo (July 29, 1911 – July 5, 1995) was an American lawyer, writer, and Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He was the state's 60th governor, and also represented the state as a member of the United States House of ...

56%-43%.

Commissioner of Administration and Finance

In 1961, Governor John A. Volpe appointed Gibbons to the position of Commissioner of Administration and Finance. After accepting the job he moved to Beacon Hill. In 1962 he was appointed Chairman of the State Government Center Commission. On May 8, 1964, Gibbons was indicted on 23 counts of accepting bribes during his tenure as Commissioner of Administration and Finance. He was one of twenty-six people indicted by a special grand jury investigating corruption. After over three and a half years without a trial, the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

ordered the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

to start the trial by January 8, 1964. On January 8, Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Backman told Suffolk Superior Court Judge Felix Forte that the government was "unable to proceed" and Forte dismissed all of the charges against Gibbons. Two days after the charges against him were dropped, Gibbons, who had been in ill health for some time, entered the hospital. He died on February 2, 1968.

Later life and death

Gibbons spent his later years in

Wiscasset, Maine Wiscasset is a New England town, town in and the county seat, seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,742 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbons, Charles 1901 births 1968 deaths Politicians from Boston People from Cumberland County, Kentucky People from Stoneham, Massachusetts People from Wiscasset, Maine Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians People from Beacon Hill, Boston Massachusetts Republican Party chairs

Early life

Political career

Commissioner of Administration and Finance

Later life and death

See also

References