Joseph C. McKibbin

Who was Joseph C. McKibbin?

Joseph Chambers McKibbin was a California Democratic politician.

McKibbin was born 1824 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

He received a common-school education then attended Princeton College 1840-1842. He moved to California in 1849 during the California Gold Rush, settling in Sierra County. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1852, practicing in Downieville.

McKibbin was a member of the California State Senate in 1852 and 1853, then elected as a Democrat to the 35th Congress, and served during 1857-1859. He lost his bid for re-election in 1858.

During the Civil War McKibbin enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 and was one of the first six Cavalry officers appointed by President Abraham Lincoln. He served as a colonel and aide-de-camp on the staffs of Major General Henry W. Halleck and Major General George H. Thomas. After the Civil War, McKibbon settled in Washington, D.C. as a general contractor. He purchased the property at Marshall Hall, Maryland, in 1883.

McKibbin died on July 1, 1896 in Marshall Hall, Maryland and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.