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Thomas Van Renssalaer Gibbs (September 16, 1855 – October 31, 1898) was a member of the 1885 Florida Constitutional Convention, served in the Florida House of Representatives, and was a school administrator.[1] He was nominated to West Point by Representative Josiah T. Walls, who was also African American.[2]
Thomas Van Renssalaer Gibbs | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the Duval County district | |
| In office 1885–1887 1887–1889 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 16, 1855 New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 31, 1898 (aged 43) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Alice Menard |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | West Point |
In the legislature, Gibbs helped pass legislation establishing a white normal school in Gainesville, Florida and a "colored school" in Jacksonville. State Normal College for Colored Students was a predecessor of Florida A&M College and was relocated to Tallahassee where it opened in 1887 with 15 students. Gibbs served as its assistant principal and Vice President until his death in 1898.[3] The only son of Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, Thomas married Alice Menard, the daughter of politician John Willis Menard who in 1868 was the first African American elected to Congress.
- ^ Jackson, D. (2008-09-29). Booker T. Washington and the Struggle against White Supremacy: The Southern Educational Tours, 1908–1912. ISBN 9780230615502.
- ^ Allman, T.D. (2013). Finding Florida. The True History of the Sunshine State. Atlantic Monthly Press. p. 260. ISBN 9780802120762.
- ^ Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University-About The University
- Canter Brown Jr. Florida's Black Public Officials, 1867-1924. Tuscaloosa and London: The University of Alabama Press, 1998.
- Florida A&M History 'https://www.famu.edu/about-famu/history/index.php'