Barnett Gibbs (May 19, 1851 – October 4, 1904) was an American politician who served as the 15th lieutenant governor of Texas from 1885 to 1887.[1][2]
Barnett Gibbs | |
|---|---|
 Gibbs | |
| 15th Lieutenant Governor of Texas | |
| In office January 20, 1885 – January 19, 1887 | |
| Governor | John Ireland |
| Preceded by | Francis Marion Martin |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Benton Wheeler |
| Member of the Texas Senate from the 16th district | |
| In office January 9, 1883 – January 13, 1885 | |
| Preceded by | James Green McDonald Sr. |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Olinthus Terrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 19, 1851 Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | October 4, 1904 (aged 53) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
Biography
editBarnett Gibbs was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, on May 19, 1851.[3] Originally a lawyer and populist spokesman from Mississippi, he later moved to Dallas, Texas, and served as the city attorney before becoming a Texas Senator in 1882.[4] In 1884, he was elected as the lieutenant governor of Texas and briefly served as acting governor in 1885.
Gibbs supported farmers' interests and challenged a railroad attorney for a congressional seat in 1886 but withdrew his candidacy. He practiced law, engaged in real estate speculation, and promoted a deepwater harbor for Texas City. In 1891, he began organizing Democratic clubs to discuss farm problems, which led to his conversion to Populism in 1896.
He played a role in the People's party national convention in 1896, opposing the nomination of William Jennings Bryan for the Populist ticket. Gibbs ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress in 1896 and for the Texas governorship in 1898, focusing on the idea of a state-owned "relief railroad".
After the decline of the People's party, he returned to the Democratic party in 1899 and supported William Jennings Bryan in the 1900 presidential election. Gibbs retired from politics, focusing on real estate and mining, and passed away in Dallas in 1904.[5] He was a member of various organizations, including the Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Lieutenant Governors of Texas". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "List of lieutenant governors of Texas" (PDF).
- ^ "Gibbs, Barnett" (PDF). The Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "Barnett Gibbs". Legislative Reference Library of Texas. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "Obituary for HON. BARNETT GIBBS". The Yazoo Herald. 1904-10-07. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ "Texas Politics - Lieutenant Governors: Barnett Gibbs". texaspolitics.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
Further reading
edit- Alwyn Barr, Reconstruction to Reform: Texas Politics, 1876-1906 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1971). Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 1846-1982 (Austin: Texas Legislative Council, 1982).
External links
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