John S. Gibson
Encyclopedia
John Strickland Gibson (January 3, 1893 – October 19, 1960) was a U.S. Representative
from Georgia
.
Born near Folkston, Georgia
, Gibson attended the common schools.
He studied law by correspondence from La Salle Extension University
, Chicago, Illinois. He was admitted to the bar
in 1922 and commenced practice in Douglas, Georgia
, in 1923. He served as solicitor of the city court of Douglas, Georgia
from 1928 to 1934. He served as solicitor general of the Waycross judicial circuit from 1934 to 1940.
Gibson was elected as a Democrat
to the Seventy-seventh
, Seventy-eighth
, and Seventy-ninth
Congresses (January 3, 1941-January 3, 1947).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1946. He resumed the practice of law. He died in Douglas, Georgia
, October 19, 1960. He was interred in City Cemetery.
He was born in Charlton County on January 3, 1893, to William Owen Gibson and Julia Ann Vickery Gibson, and he was married to Bessie Thomas in April, 1917. After moving to Douglas, Georgia and graduating from Georgia State Normal College, he began his legal career at the office of George Mingledorff while he finished a correspondence course from LaSalle Extension University and prepared for the bar exam. He was an aggressive courtroom lawyer who specialized in cross-examination and was known for his innate ability to sense the mood of the jury and for his colorful and frequently caustic methods of argument. He became one of Georgia's most feared and admired attorneys, and his excellence as a trial lawyer led to his election in 1934 as solicitor general, a position equivalent to today's district attorney.
Gibson's popularity continued to grow, and he was elected as a Democrat to the United States Congress after the congressman from Georgia's Eighth District, W. Ben Gibbs, died in 1940.
Congressman Gibson served the public tirelessly through the difficult years of World War II, and he is credited with playing a decisive role in the passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the G.I. Bill. During the week of the D-Day
invasion of Normandy, a House and Senate conference committee was deadlocked on the bill which would provide housing, education, and job benefits to returning veterans. Congressman Gibson received word that the bill was in jeopardy while he was at home in Douglas, Georgia
, recovering from an illness, and in a spectacular overnight journey, he rushed to Washington to remind his peers that American soldiers needed their full support.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Born near Folkston, Georgia
Folkston, Georgia
Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,178 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Gibson attended the common schools.
He studied law by correspondence from La Salle Extension University
La Salle Extension University
La Salle Extension University , also styled as LaSalle Extension University, was a nationally accredited private university based in Chicago, Illinois. Although the school offered resident educational programs in classes and seminars their primary mode of delivery was by way of distance learning...
, Chicago, Illinois. He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1922 and commenced practice in Douglas, Georgia
Douglas, Georgia
Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,589. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of 48,708 as of the 2008 census...
, in 1923. He served as solicitor of the city court of Douglas, Georgia
Douglas, Georgia
Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,589. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of 48,708 as of the 2008 census...
from 1928 to 1934. He served as solicitor general of the Waycross judicial circuit from 1934 to 1940.
Gibson was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Seventy-seventh
77th United States Congress
-Major events:* December 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor* December 8, 1941: Joint Session of Congress met to hear President Roosevelt deliver his "Day of Infamy" speech...
, Seventy-eighth
78th United States Congress
The Seventy-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1943 to January 3, 1945, during the last two years...
, and Seventy-ninth
79th United States Congress
The Seventy-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945 to January 3, 1947, during the last months of...
Congresses (January 3, 1941-January 3, 1947).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1946. He resumed the practice of law. He died in Douglas, Georgia
Douglas, Georgia
Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,589. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of 48,708 as of the 2008 census...
, October 19, 1960. He was interred in City Cemetery.
He was born in Charlton County on January 3, 1893, to William Owen Gibson and Julia Ann Vickery Gibson, and he was married to Bessie Thomas in April, 1917. After moving to Douglas, Georgia and graduating from Georgia State Normal College, he began his legal career at the office of George Mingledorff while he finished a correspondence course from LaSalle Extension University and prepared for the bar exam. He was an aggressive courtroom lawyer who specialized in cross-examination and was known for his innate ability to sense the mood of the jury and for his colorful and frequently caustic methods of argument. He became one of Georgia's most feared and admired attorneys, and his excellence as a trial lawyer led to his election in 1934 as solicitor general, a position equivalent to today's district attorney.
Gibson's popularity continued to grow, and he was elected as a Democrat to the United States Congress after the congressman from Georgia's Eighth District, W. Ben Gibbs, died in 1940.
Congressman Gibson served the public tirelessly through the difficult years of World War II, and he is credited with playing a decisive role in the passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the G.I. Bill. During the week of the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
invasion of Normandy, a House and Senate conference committee was deadlocked on the bill which would provide housing, education, and job benefits to returning veterans. Congressman Gibson received word that the bill was in jeopardy while he was at home in Douglas, Georgia
Douglas, Georgia
Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,589. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of 48,708 as of the 2008 census...
, recovering from an illness, and in a spectacular overnight journey, he rushed to Washington to remind his peers that American soldiers needed their full support.