Reuben B. Gibson

Reuben B. Gibson
Ambrotype of Gibson c. 1858
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 4th District
In office
December 2, 1857 – December 6, 1859
Serving with George H. Keith, William S. Chowen, and James B. Hinkley
Postmaster of Bloomington, Minnesota
Personal details
BornUnknown
Bedford, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedNovember 13, 1872
Minnesota, U.S.

Reuben B. Gibson (Unknown – November 13, 1872), also known as R. B. Gibson, was an American politician and early citizen of Bloomington, Minnesota who served a single term in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Early life and career

Gibson's early life is unknown until he moved to Minnesota Territory in 1850, originally arriving in St. Anthony.:92 In 1852 Gibson settled land near Nine Mile Creek in Hennepin County alongside Joseph Dean, William Chambers, and others, which would become the city of Bloomington, Minnesota.:186:176 Gibson served as Bloomington's first postmaster.:192 The first city hall meeting in Bloomington was held in Gibson's home on May 11, 1858, where Gibson was elected as a city supervisor.:223

Political career

Gibson was elected on October 13, 1857, to serve in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing Minnesota's 4th House district in the 1st Minnesota Legislature. At the time the 4th House district included Hennepin County. During his term Gibson was a member of the incorporations committee. Gibson was Republican.:292

Later life and death

In 1871 Gibson was implicated in a large forgery scheme in Minneapolis which totaled over $3,000. According to the February 16, 1871 issue of the Minnesota Staats-Zeitung, Gibson abandoned his family during the forgery affair. He died a year later on November 13, 1872.

Personal life

Gibson was married to Margaret A. McAllaster in Bedford, New Hampshire on November 29, 1831.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stevens, John H. (1890). Personal Recollections of Minnesota and its People, and Early History of Minneapolis (PDF). Minneapolis: Marshall Robinson.
  2. 1 2 Neill, Edward D.; Williams, J. Fletcher (1881). History of Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota. Minneapolis: North Star Publishing Company.
  3. ↑ Andrews, C.C. (1857). Minnesota and Dacotah: In Letters Descriptive of a Tour Through the North-West, in the Autumn of 1856 with Information Relative to Public Lands, and a Table of Statistics. Washington: Robert Farnham.
  4. 1 2 3 "Reuben B. Gibson". Minnesota Legislators Past & Present. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
  5. ↑ "ANOTHER MINNEAPOLIS FORGERY. An Old Man Implicated in a Large Number of Forgeries - Escape of the Criminal". St. Paul Daily Press. Vol. 11, no. 37. February 14, 1871. p. 2. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Staats-Itenigkeitcn" [State intelligence]. Minnesota Staats-Zeitung (in German). February 16, 1871. p. 6. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Spofford, Jeremiah (1888). A genealogical record: including two generations in female lines of families spelling their name Spofford, Spafford, Spafard and Spaford: decendants of John Spofford and Elizabeth Scott, who emigrated in 1638 from Yorkshire, England and settled at Rowley, Essex County, Mass. Boston: Alfred Mudge & Son. pp. 136.