Florence Reville Gibbs

Who was Florence Reville Gibbs?

Florence Reville Gibbs was a Democratic congresswoman, the first woman to represent Georgia in the United States House of Representatives.

Florence Reville was born April 4, 1890, in Thomson, McDuffie County, Georgia. She grew up there, attending public schools, and then graduated from Brenau College in Gainesville, Georgia. She married Willis Benjamin Gibbs, a Georgia attorney and politician.

In 1938, W. Benjamin Gibbs was elected as a Democrat to represent Georgia's Eighth congressional district in the 76th United States Congress. He took his seat on January 3, 1939, and served until his death in 1940. Florence Gibbs was elected as a Democrat in the special election to fill the vacant seat left by her husband's death; she took office October 1, 1940. She did not run in the general election to represent the district in the 77th United States Congress, and she left office January 3, 1941.

After leaving Congress, Florence Gibbs retired from public life and resided in Jesup, Georgia, until her death there on August 19, 1964.