Did you know that the City of Coppell's first name was "Gibbs"?! In 1887, the farming community in North Texas was named in honor of Barnett Gibbs, a Texas senator and lieutenant governor, before the name was changed to "Coppell" in 1890, after George Coppell, a distinguished New York businessman who was closely associated with the railroads (the town's post office officially changed its name in 1892). In this blog post, I share a brief history of Barnett Gibbs, a prominent state politician in his time.
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| Barnett Gibbs was a tall man (standing at 6'1") and known to be very pleasant towards friends, yet blunt towards political enemies. Photograph from Texas Legislature Archives. |
Barnett Gibbs, the son of a judge and schoolteacher, was born on May 19, 1851 in Yazoo City, Mississippi. The young boy excelled at his studies at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, and the University of Virginia, before attaining a Juris Doctorate from the Law School of Lebanon, Tennessee in the early 1870s. Gibbs craved for a new adventure after graduation and migrated to Dallas in 1873 - despite not having a found entrance among the city's aristocracy, Gibbs had a clear head and an indomitable ambition to rise in the world. The young attorney, skilled and possessing a charismatic yet genial personality, wooed the citizens of Dallas, who later overwhelmingly elected him city attorney. He held this role for six years. Owing to his popularity, Gibbs rose the ranks and was elected to the Texas Senate in 1882 (one of the youngest men in Texas's history to be voted into this office). In the state senate, Gibbs championed the economic liberties of the working class. Texans enjoyed Gibbs' persistence and work ethic in the Legislature and elected him to the Office of Lieutenant Governor in 1884 (today, he remains the youngest L. Gov. in state history). The governor during this period, John Ireland, frequently undertook trips out of the state, leaving Gibbs as the "acting governor of Texas". In this capacity, he earned great credit as a talented orator and compromiser.
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| Photograph of Coppell's train depot after the name of the farming community changed from "Gibbs" in the early 1890s. Photograph from the Coppell Historical Society Archives. |
Even after he left the lieutenant governor office in 1886, Gibbs remained a highly-sought profile within the Texas Democratic Party. Gibbs' political friends in Austin persuaded him to run for the United States House of Representatives in 1896, yet Colonel J.C. Wellborn, the Republican candidate, narrowly won the race after a shaded compromise between the two parties behind closed doors. Despite the heartbreaking defeat, Gibbs continued to influence the decisions of the politicians, playing a major role in the state's prohibition campaign and assuming an active part in securing a suitable harbor on Texas' coast. He attempted to run for the Texas governorship on the Populist Party platform in 1898, but was decisively beaten by Democrat Joseph D. Sayers (71% v. 28%) - incumbent Charles Allen Culberson retired. In his twilight years, Gibbs rejoined the TX Democrat Party and invested in Mexico mining companies. He married Sallie Haynes, daughter of a prominent businessman J.W. Haynes, and the couple had two children, Sallie and Willie. The Hon. Barnett Gibbs died on October 5, 1904 in Dallas (according to the Palestine Daily Herald, the cause of death was kidney failure). Gibbs' funeral was held two days later on October 6. Reverend P.R. Knickerbocker of Dallas' Grace Methodist Church presided, and as stated by the Dallas Morning News and Palestine Daily Herald, Gibbs' "procession to Oakland cemetery was one of the largest ever witnessed in this city." In spite of being a footnote in today's history books, Barnett Gibbs was a significant activist in Texas politics.
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For more information on Mr. Gibbs: https://ioof-grand-lodge-texas-pgm.weebly.com/barnett-gibbs.html
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