Bill Gibbons
Encyclopedia
Bill Gibbons is the current Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner for the State of Tennessee. He was appointed to the post by the current Governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam. He is a former District Attorney General of the 30th Judicial District of Tennessee
, which includes Shelby County
and the city of Memphis, Tennessee
. He was a Republican
candidate in the 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial election
, but dropped out on March 26, 2010 due to "lack of sufficient campaign funds to go forward."
, the youngest of six children. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 When Gibbons was 4, his father, an alcoholic, abandoned him and his family leaving it impoverished. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 As a result, he grew up without a telephone or TV despite them being common American household conveniences during his childhood in the 1950s and 1960s. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159982 Also, his mother had to sell their chairs, tables, silverware, dishes, and other staple household necessities to pay for food and electricity. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 Eventually, his mother lost the small farm to foreclosure
. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159982 As a child, Gibbons was a habitual truant
that skipped school; but it was his fourth grade school teacher that convinced him that education was the path out of poverty. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159982
Even as his mother sold the bookcases containing the books, his mother refused to sell the books in their home, because she believed that literacy
and education
were the key to escaping poverty
. One of the set of books she refused to sell was a six volume biography of Abraham Lincoln
by Carl Sandberg. Gibbons is convinced that this was one of the major reasons he became a Republican
. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780
At the age of 15, an older brother packed up Bill and the family and moved to Memphis, where he attended Central High School. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159982 http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 While in high school, Bill Gibbons was appointed by former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander
, who at the time was running Howard Baker's campaign for the U.S. Sentate, to startup and a head a group called Teenagers for Baker in Shelby County.
After high school, Bill attended college at Vanderbilt University
where he served as president of the Vanderbilt College Republicans. He went on from there to also earn a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School
.
's 1978 campaign for governor. After Lamar Alexander
's victory, Bill Gibbons worked in Alexander's staff as a special assistant for local government and urban affairs from 1979-1981.
Bill worked in private practice in Memphis from 1981-1996 while also serving on the Memphis City Council
from 1984-1987 and on the Shelby County Board of Commissioners from 1994-1996.
In 1996, Governor Don Sundquist appointed Bill Gibbons to fill the vacated position of District Attorney General in Shelby County. Bill was then elected to the position in 1998 and re-elected in 2006. Gibbons is also Tennessee's representative to the National District Attorneys Association's (NDAA) Board of Directors.
When Bill was appointed District Attorney General in 1996, he had no criminal experience as a prosecutor or defense lawyer. When he left the District Attorney's position in 2011, he left with no experience as a prosecutor. In fifteen years on the job, he tried no cases, argued no motions, and negotiated no guilty plea settlements.
Gibbons made an abortive bid for Governor of Tennessee in 2010, dropping out due to lack of campaign funds.
on the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. She was first appointed as a federal judge by Ronald Reagan
.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, which includes Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
and the city of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. He was a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate in the 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial election
Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen was term-limited and unable to seek re-election...
, but dropped out on March 26, 2010 due to "lack of sufficient campaign funds to go forward."
Early life
Gibbons was born and raised on a small farm in southern ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, the youngest of six children. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 When Gibbons was 4, his father, an alcoholic, abandoned him and his family leaving it impoverished. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 As a result, he grew up without a telephone or TV despite them being common American household conveniences during his childhood in the 1950s and 1960s. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159982 Also, his mother had to sell their chairs, tables, silverware, dishes, and other staple household necessities to pay for food and electricity. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 Eventually, his mother lost the small farm to foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159982 As a child, Gibbons was a habitual truant
TruANT
Truant is Alien Ant Farm's second album. It was released on August 8, 2003 by DreamWorks Records. The producers of the album were Stone Temple Pilots' guitarist and bassist Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo....
that skipped school; but it was his fourth grade school teacher that convinced him that education was the path out of poverty. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159982
Even as his mother sold the bookcases containing the books, his mother refused to sell the books in their home, because she believed that literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
were the key to escaping poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. One of the set of books she refused to sell was a six volume biography of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
by Carl Sandberg. Gibbons is convinced that this was one of the major reasons he became a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780
At the age of 15, an older brother packed up Bill and the family and moved to Memphis, where he attended Central High School. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090415/NEWS/304159982 http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-man-who-would-be-governor/Content?oid=1516780 While in high school, Bill Gibbons was appointed by former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander
Lamar Alexander
Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
, who at the time was running Howard Baker's campaign for the U.S. Sentate, to startup and a head a group called Teenagers for Baker in Shelby County.
After high school, Bill attended college at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
where he served as president of the Vanderbilt College Republicans. He went on from there to also earn a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School
Vanderbilt University Law School
Vanderbilt University Law School is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law has consistently ranked among the top 20 law schools in the nation, and is currently ranked 16th in the 2012...
.
Career
Bill Gibbons was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1976. While working in private practice, he also served as the Shelby County Coordinator for Lamar AlexanderLamar Alexander
Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
's 1978 campaign for governor. After Lamar Alexander
Lamar Alexander
Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
's victory, Bill Gibbons worked in Alexander's staff as a special assistant for local government and urban affairs from 1979-1981.
Bill worked in private practice in Memphis from 1981-1996 while also serving on the Memphis City Council
Memphis City Council
The Memphis City Council is a legislative body of Memphis, Tennessee. The city is governed by Mayor A C Wharton and thirteen city council members....
from 1984-1987 and on the Shelby County Board of Commissioners from 1994-1996.
In 1996, Governor Don Sundquist appointed Bill Gibbons to fill the vacated position of District Attorney General in Shelby County. Bill was then elected to the position in 1998 and re-elected in 2006. Gibbons is also Tennessee's representative to the National District Attorneys Association's (NDAA) Board of Directors.
When Bill was appointed District Attorney General in 1996, he had no criminal experience as a prosecutor or defense lawyer. When he left the District Attorney's position in 2011, he left with no experience as a prosecutor. In fifteen years on the job, he tried no cases, argued no motions, and negotiated no guilty plea settlements.
Gibbons made an abortive bid for Governor of Tennessee in 2010, dropping out due to lack of campaign funds.
Personal
Bill Gibbons is married to Julia S. Gibbons. Julia S. Gibbons is a federal judgeFederal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...
on the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. She was first appointed as a federal judge by Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.