Ernest William Gibson Jr. (March 6, 1901 – November 4, 1969) was an American attorney, politician, and judge. He served briefly as an appointed United States Senator, as the 67th governor of Vermont, and as a federal judge.
Born in Brattleboro and the son of a prominent Vermont political figure who served in the United States Senate, Gibson graduated from Norwich University in 1923, attended The George Washington University Law School, and attained admission to the bar in 1926. A Republican, he served in several elected and appointed positions in state government. When his father died while serving in the Senate, Gibson was appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily, and he served from June 1940 to January 1941.
A veteran of the United States Army Reserve and Vermont National Guard, Gibson served in the South Pacific and on the staff of the United States Department of War during World War II and received several decorations for heroism. In 1946, he ran for Governor of Vermont and defeated the incumbent in the Republican primary, the only time this had ever occurred in Vermont. He went on to win the general election and reelection in 1948.
Gibson served as governor until he accepted the appointment as judge of Vermont's U.S. District Court; he remained on the bench until his 1969 death in Brattleboro. He was buried at Morningside Cemetery in Brattleboro.
Early life Gibson was born on March 6, 1901, in Brattleboro, Vermont, the son of Grace Fullerton Hadley and Ernest W. Gibson, who later served in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate.J.T. White, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, 1952, page 214 He attended the public schools and graduated from Norwich University with an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1923,Cavendish Historical Society, Families of Cavendish: Families of Cavendish, Vt., 2008, page 431 where he was a member of the Alpha chapter of the Theta Chi International Fraternity.Theta Chi Fraternity, The Rattle of Theta Chi, 1949 He attended The George Washington University Law School, read law in his father's office, and was admitted to the bar in 1926.H.W. Wilson Company, Current Biography, 1949, page 222 While studying law, he also taught at the New York Military Academy in Cornwall, New York,J. T. White, The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1952, page xlviii and worked as a mathematician on the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, Collier's magazine, 1947, page 12
Military service Gibson was a member of the United States Army Reserve and Vermont National Guard from an early age; in 1922, he joined the National Guard's Company I, 172nd Infantry Regiment as a private. In 1924, he was appointed to command the National Guard's Troop B, 316th Cavalry Regiment with the rank of first lieutenant. In 1928, Gibson was a private first class assigned to Company I, 172nd Infantry. In 1934, he was a captain in the Organized Reserve Corps and was assigned to the 316th Cavalry. By 1937, Gibson had returned to the Vermont National Guard and served as a first lieutenant. As of 1939, Gibson was a captain serving as aide-de-camp to Leonard F. Wing, the brigadier general in command of the Vermont National Guard's 86th Infantry Brigade.
Early career Gibson began practicing law in Brattleboro in 1927. A Republican, he was State's Attorney of Windham County from 1929 to 1933; assistant secretary of the Vermont Senate from 1931 to 1933; and secretary from 1933 to 1940.John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, Ralph H. Orth, editors, The Vermont Encyclopedia, 2003, page 136
While serving on the Senate staff, Gibson was part of a network of acquaintances who were all lawyers, Republican party activists, and National Guard members. In addition to Gibson, this group included Leonard F. Wing, Harold J. Arthur, Murdock A. Campbell, and Francis William Billado.
U.S. Senator
Gibson was appointed to the United States Senate by Governor George D. Aiken on June 24, 1940, filling the vacancy caused by the death of his father, Ernest Willard Gibson. The younger Gibson served from June 24, 1940, to January 3, 1941, but did not run in the election to fill the vacancy. He was succeeded in the Senate by Aiken, a family friend. Political observers assumed that Gibson accepted the temporary appointment to facilitate Aiken's election. Knowing that Aiken desired to become a Senator, Gibson accepted the appointment and agreed not to run in a primary against him, which another appointee might have done. Gibson was willing to fill the vacancy temporarily and then defer to Aiken because Gibson hoped to serve as governor.Samuel B. Hand, The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854–1974, 2003, page 133
World War II
From January to May 1941, Gibson was Executive Secretary and later Chairman of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies (the William Allen White Committee), which advocated for aid to the Allies before United States military involvement in World War II.Michele Hilmes, NBC: America's Network, 2007, page 53
Gibson volunteered for active duty during World War II and served in the South Pacific as G-2 (Intelligence Officer) with the 43rd Infantry Division. He later served on the Intelligence staff at the United States Department of War.University of Vermont, Ernest W. Gibson Papers: Biography, Ernest W. Gibson, retrieved February 20, 2014 He was promoted to major in July 1942, and lieutenant colonel in November 1942.
While serving in the Pacific Theater, Gibson was wounded. A newspaper photo showing him having his head bandaged after he was wounded was circulated internationally, along with a caption identifying him as a former Senator, and he gained a measure of fame as a result.Mark Bushnell, Barre Times Argus, Ernest Gibson: War Hero, Politician, GOP Reformer , October 4, 2009Peter Langrock, Beyond the courthouse: Tales of Lawyers and Lawyering, 1999, page 4
When John F. Kennedy and his crew from PT-109 were rescued, the coconut shell Kennedy used to send a message asking for help came into Gibson's possession.Associated Press, Troy Record, Judge's Rites Today In Vermont, November 7, 1969 Gibson later returned it to Kennedy.Sumner Augustus Davis, Barnabas Davis (1599–1685) and His Descendants, 1973, pages 200–201 Kennedy had the shell preserved in a glass paperweight displayed on his Oval Office desk during his presidency.Robert Dallek, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917 – 1963, 2003, Chapter 19 It is now displayed at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts.John F. Kennedy Library, Coconut Shell Paperweight, retrieved February 24, 2014
Gibson was discharged in September 1945, shortly after receiving promotion to colonel. His awards included the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, and Purple Heart.Samuel B. Hand, Anthony Marro, Stephen C. Terry, Philip Hoff: How Red Turned Blue in the Green Mountain State, 2011, page 1
Governor of Vermont
In 1946, Vermont political observers expected Leonard F. Wing, the commander of the 43rd Division during the war, to run for governor. The unanswered question was whether incumbent governor Mortimer R. Proctor would run again or would defer to Wing for the Republican nomination, tantamount to election in Vermont.Earle Williams Newton, The Vermont Story: A History of the People of the Green Mountain State, 1749–1949, 1949, page 255
Wing died in December 1945, soon after returning home from the war.Theta Chi Fraternity, The Rattle of Theta Chi, 1948 Without Wing in the race, Gibson was free to announce his candidacy. Proctor decided to run for reelection, creating a rare Republican primary contest.Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, 20 in 20: Vermont's Great Moments in the 20th Century , Ernest Gibson Wins GOP Gubernatorial Primary – 1946, 1999
Gibson, an internationalist and a progressive, argued against the Republican status quo. Making the case against unwritten party policies including the Mountain Rule and the limitation of Governors to two years in office, Gibson appealed to war veterans and younger voters, calling for action over inertia, saying "Under this rule a relatively small clique of people choose governors nearly 10 years in advance, supporting them up a series of political steps to the highest office."
(According to the Mountain Rule, which had existed since the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s, the governor and lieutenant governor candidates were identified years in advance, and alternated between the east and west sides of the Green Mountains. Governors were limited to two years in office. United States Senators were also allocated based on the Green Mountains—one from the east and one from the west. As a result of this party discipline, even after the advent of primary elections and the direct election of Senators, Republicans won every statewide election in Vermont for more than 100 years.)Samuel B. Hand, The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854–1974, 2003, page 36
Gibson defeated Proctor and won the general election in 1946, in what was called "a repudiation by Vermont voters of political practices and traditions that have been long established – a rebellion, not against outright mismanagement and inefficiency in the state government at Montpelier, but rather against the inertia and lack of aggressiveness of administration policies."
He won reelection in 1948 and served from January 1947 to January 1950. During Gibson's first term, he concentrated on increasing state services following years of small budgets and limited priorities following the Great Depression and World War II. He obtained approval of plans to expand and modernize state highways, improve health services, and enhance education and social welfare programs. To raise the funds necessary to support the largest budget in state history ($31 million), Gibson advocated for and obtained an increase in the state income tax.
Gibson resigned to become a federal judge and was succeeded by Harold J. Arthur.Vermont State Archives, , Biography, 2007, page 1Vermont State Archives, , January 16, 1950, page 1
Federal judicial service Frustrated at dealing with a Republican Vermont General Assembly and party structure that was more conservative than his, Gibson contemplated an early exit from the governorship rather than trying for a third term.Kevin O'Connor, Rutland Herald, Is Bernie the Next Aiken? , December 17, 2006
Gibson was nominated by President Harry S. Truman on September 15, 1949, to the seat on the United States District Court for the District of Vermont vacated by the death of Judge James Patrick Leamy.Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory, 1969, page 287Yonkers Herald-Statesman, Death Notice, James P. Leamy, July 25, 1949James M. Jeffords, An Independent Man: Adventures of a Public Servant, 2003, page 66Sheldon Goldman, Picking Federal Judges: Lower Court Selection from Roosevelt Through Reagan, 1999, page 69 He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 15, 1949, and received his commission on October 18, 1949.Associated Press, Berkshire Eagle, Vermont Governor Quitting Jan. 15, January 5, 1950Associated Press, North Adams Transcript, Both Sides Claim Gains on Judgeship, December 31, 1969 He served as Chief Judge from 1966 to 1969. His service terminated on November 4, 1969, due to his death.
Other service In 1956, Gibson was appointed a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army.Army, Navy and Air Force Journal, Named Aide to Army Secy., Volume 93, Issues 27–52, 1956, page 960 The Civilian Aide program uses prominent individuals in each state and territory to promote goodwill between the civilian population and the Army by ensuring that the public is aware of ongoing Army projects and programs.Laura L. DeFrancisco U.S. Army, New Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army Invested, April 16, 2012
Notable law clerks