John P. S. Gobin

John Peter Shindel Gobin (January 21, 1837 – May 1, 1910) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as an officer in the Union Army during the Civil War, as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 17th district from 1885 to 1898 and as the seventh lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.

Cited for valor multiple times during the Civil War, Gobin was promoted repeatedly, becoming the final commanding officer of the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, which was the only regiment from Pennsylvania to serve during the Union's 1864 Red River Campaign across Louisiana.Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, Vol. I, pp. 1150-1190. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.Schmidt, Lewis G. A Civil War history of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers: the wrong place at the wrong time. Allentown, Pennsylvania: L. G. Schmidt, 1986.

Early life and education Gobin was born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, on January 21, 1837, the oldest of four children of Samuel and Susanna Gobin Shindel.Charles Morris, editor, Men of the Century, 1896, page 261Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction, Scottish Rite Freemasons, Abstract of Proceedings of the Annual Meeting Proceedings of the Supreme Council, 1910, page 309Georgia Grand Commandery, Knights Templar, Annual Conclave Proceedings, 1910, page 57 He was educated locally and became an apprentice at the Sunbury American newspaper, where he was trained as a printer.William P. Smull (Harrisburg), Smull's Legislative Hand Book and Manual of the State of Pennsylvania, 1885, page 808 He then read law with M. L. Shindel and John K. Clement, the father of Charles M. Clement, with whom Gobin later served in the National Guard.Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction, Scottish Rite Freemasons, Abstract of Proceedings of the Supreme Council, 1910, page 309 Gobin was admitted to the bar in 1858, and began to practice in Sunbury.William Henry Powell, editor, Officers of the Army and Navy (Volunteer) who Served in the Civil War, 1893, page 127

Career American Civil War In 1861, Gobin enlisted for the American Civil War and was commissioned a first lieutenant in Company F of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry. After the unit's three-month term of service expired Gobin organized Company C of the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry, which he commanded as a captain.Pennsylvania Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1887, page 266

The 47th Pennsylvania served throughout the rest of the war, primarily in Florida, South Carolina and Virginia, and Gobin rose through the ranks to become the regiment's colonel and commander. Major General Philip H. Sheridan rewarded Gobin for his performance at the Battle of Pocotaligo in South Carolina by recommending him for the brevet rank of brigadier general.

Post-civil war On July 6, 1866, U.S. President Andrew Johnson nominated Gobin for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 746. Near the end of the war, he commanded 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XIX Corps. After the surrender of the Confederacy, Gobin served as a Provost Marshal in South Carolina and Georgia until he was mustered out of the service on January 9, 1866.New York Press Company, New York Press Almanac, 1898, page 298U.S. Government Printing Office, U.S. Congress: Proposed Volunteer Retired List, 1906, page 57Pennsylvania Republican State Committee, A Campaign Text-book for 1898, 1898, pages 15–20

After the Civil War, Gobin moved to Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he resumed the practice of law. He was also active in the Grand Army of the Republic and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. From 1897 to 1898 he was the G.A.R.'s national commander.L.R. Hamersly & Company (New York), Who's Who in Pennsylvania: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries, Volume 2, 1908, pages 303–304

In addition to practicing law, Gobin was active in several businesses, including the local gas lighting company, the First National Bank of Lebanon, the City Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad.A. W. Bowen & Company (Logansport, Indiana), The Progressive Men of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Volume 2, 1900, pages 630–31

Gobin also carried out several civic responsibilities, including member of the board of trustees of Pennsylvania's Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, member of the board of commissioners of the Soldiers' Orphans Home, and member of the board of commissioners of the Gettysburg Monument Association.James H. Lamb Company, Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States, Volume 3, 1900, page 312

Political career A Republican, Gobin was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 17th district in 1884 and served from 1885 to 1899. He was the body's President pro tempore from 1891 through 1893.

In 1898, Gobin was elected lieutenant governor, and he served from 1899 to 1903.James T. White & Company, The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Volume XIII, 1906, page 58

Continued military service In 1870 Gobin returned to military service as a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, commanding a company in Lebanon called the Coleman Guards with the rank of captain. In 1874 he was named commander of the 8th Regiment with the rank of colonel. In 1885 he was promoted to brigadier general as commander of the 3rd Brigade.Lewis Historical Publishing Company (New York), Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography, Illustrated, Volume 1, 1914, pages 35–41

In 1898 Gobin was appointed to command his brigade when it was federalized for the Spanish–American War. He led his brigade during mobilization and training near Augusta, Georgia, but resigned in order to run for lieutenant governor, and returned to National Guard service in Pennsylvania.Pennsylvania Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1911, page 298Berry Benson, Berry Benson's Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter, 2011, page xxxv

In 1906 he was promoted to major general as commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard Division, succeeding Charles Miller. He commanded the division until he retired in 1907, and was succeeded by John A. Wiley.Pennsylvania Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1906, page 287Pennsylvania Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1907, page 357

Additional activities Gobin was also a member of the Freemasons, Knights Templar, and Odd Fellows. He served as Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar in North America from 1889 to 1892.Phoenixmasonry Masonic Museum and Library, 1913 Grand Commandery Knight Templar Portrait Plate, "Grand Master John Gobin", retrieved July 12, 2014

Death and burial Gobin died in Lebanon on May 1, 1910.Pennsylvania German Society, Annual Meeting Proceedings: 1909, Volume XX, 1911, after page 50 He was interred at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

John P. S. Gobin

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