William Gibson was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 politician.

Born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland and educated in Scotland, Gibson came to British North America

British North America

British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...

 in 1839 and first settled at Burrit's Rapids

Burritts Rapids, Ontario

Burritt's Rapids is a small village located on the Rideau River in eastern Ontario.The hamlet was named after Stephen Burritt, whose family was the first to settle in this area. At one time, the hamlet prospered due to its location on the Rideau Canal...

 where he operated a flour mill. He then moved to Spencerville

Spencerville, Ontario

The village of Spencerville is a rural community located in Eastern Ontario, about 80 kilometres southwest of downtown Ottawa on Highway 416. The village lies within the amalgamated municipality of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.The twinning of former Highway 16...

 where he built and operated another mill. In 1827, he settled in Morrisburg, where he purchased a mill from Benjamin Chaffey and later built another mill. He was also a director of the Ottawa Agricultural Fire Insurance Company. Miller served on the town council for Morrisburg. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 in 1872

Canadian federal election, 1872

The Canadian federal election of 1872 was held from July 20 to October 12, 1872, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 2nd Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Sir John A...

 as an Independent Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 defeating incumbent John Sylvester Ross

John Sylvester Ross

John Sylvester Ross was a miller and political figure in Ontario. He was a Liberal-Conservative member of the Canadian House of Commons who represented Dundas from 1867 to 1872 and from 1879 to 1882....

 in a two candidate contest. Ross who was a member of John A. Macdonald

John A. Macdonald

Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...

's Liberal-Conservative faction. Gibson was re-elected in 1874

Canadian federal election, 1874

The Canadian federal election of 1874 was held on January 22, 1874, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 3rd Parliament of Canada. Sir John A...

 representing Dundas electoral district

Dundas (electoral district)

Dundas was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1925. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867.It consisted initially of Dundas County...

. He retired from office at the subsequent election.

Gibson was married twice: to Eliza Kennedy in 1843 and to Jane Gillespie in 1854.