John Bannister Gibson
| John Bannister Gibson | |
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| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | |
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In office 1827–1851 |
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| Preceded by | William Tilghman |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah S. Black |
| Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | |
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In office 1816–1827 |
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In office 1851–1853 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 8, 1780 Perry County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 3, 1853 (aged 72) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Work Galbraith |
| Children | Eight |
| Alma mater | Dickinson College |
John Bannister Gibson (November 8, 1780 – May 3, 1853) was a Pennsylvania attorney, politician in the state legislature, and judge, including years on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from 1816 to his death in 1853. He served as Chief Justice on the court for 24 years.
Born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, Gibson was named for John Banister, a Virginia hero of the American Revolution. Gibson's father, George Gibson, also fought in the war and remained in service after its end. George Gibson was killed in an expedition to the Great Black Swamp in northwest Ohio during the Northwest Indian Wars, when Gibson was eleven years old.
In 1795 or 1796, Gibson was sent to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he remained about four years. Apparently Gibson did not take his degree, and the tradition is that he made very little mark as a student, though his latent abilities, or rather, his occasional and spasmodic indications of ability, were recognized by a few. Judge Hugh Brackenridge of the state Supreme Court, who lived in Carlisle, took some notice of the tall and awkward young student, and gave him the use of his library, the best in the town, which Gibson greatly appreciated.
On leaving college, Gibson read law in Carlisle, in the office of Thomas Duncan, a lawyer of sound and thorough, if not brilliant ability, well versed in the learning of the time. In 1803, Gibson was admitted to the bar in Cumberland County, and later in the same year at Pittsburgh. In 1804, he was admitted in Beaver County, and he also practiced for a short time in Hagerstown, Maryland.
In 1809, Gibson was elected on the Democratic tickets to the Pennsylvania state legislature, and again in 1810. As chairman of the judiciary committee, he secured the passage of the Act of 1812, abolishing survivorship as an incident of joint tenancy.
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