Eustace Gibson

Who was Eustace Gibson?

Eustace Gibson was a Democratic politician from the State of West Virginia. He was Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates and later served as the representative from the now-defunct Fourth Congressional District of West Virginia for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressman Gibson was born in Culpeper County, Virginia on October 4, 1842. He attended the common schools. He studied law and was admitted to the bar. He opened his law practice in 1861. He entered the Confederate States Army in June 1861 as first lieutenant. He was promoted to captain in 1863 and retired as a result of his wounds.

He served as a member of the constitutional convention of Virginia in 1867 and 1868. He settled in Huntington, West Virginia in 1871. In 1877 and 1878, he was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and served as speaker in 1877. In 1882, he was elected as a Democrat to the 48th United States Congress. He was re-elected in 1884 to the 49th United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1883 to March 3, 1887. While a member of the Forty-ninth Congress, he served as a chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice. His candidacies for renomination in 1886 and for nomination in 1888 were unsuccessful. Afterward, he returned to the practice of law. He died in Clifton Forge, Virginia on December 10, 1900. He was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia.