Governor Ernest William Gibson

ERNEST W. GIBSON was born in Brattleboro, Vermont. He graduated from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont in 1923 and from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC in 1927. While studying law at night, he also taught at the New York Military Academy in Cornwall, New York and worked as a computer operator in the Coast and Geodetic Survey. He served as State’s Attorney for Windham County from 1929 to 1933, assistant secretary to the state Senate from 1931 to 1933, secretary to the state Senate from 1933 to 1940, and a member of the Vermont Railroad Tax Commission in 1939 and 1940. In 1940 he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father. However, his service as a Senator was interrupted by World War II. Having been commissioned as a Captain in the Army Reserve, he was called to active duty and ended his service with the rank of Colonel and numerous commendations. He never sought election to the Senate in his own right, instead defeating incumbent Mortimer R. Proctor for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Going on to win the general election and reelection two years later, Gibson proposed numerous social and economic reforms in the areas of health, welfare, and education. During his second term, he accepted appointment as U.S. District Judge for the District of Vermont, a position that he held until his death.