H. Lawrence Gibbs
Encyclopedia
Henry Lawrence Gibbs, Jr., known as H. Lawrence Gibbs (March 7, 1919–April 10, 1993), was a Democratic
member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
, having served in Ouachita Parish
from 1956 to 1980. He was a state representative
from now District 16 from 1956 to 1976, when he entered the Louisiana State Senate
from District 34 for a final four-year term of legislative service.
in Cherokee County
, Texas
, the daughter of L. Jackson Hibbard and the former Lora Lexie Palmore. The couple had at least two sons, Kenneth L. Gibbs (born 1955) and Gary Dean Gibbs (born 1957). After Bobbie's death, Gibbs remarried. The second wife is Dorothy K. Gibbs (also born 1921) of Monroe
in northeastern Louisiana
.
es and whites." The House approved the bill, 71-0, with 34 members missing, and the state Senate also passed the bill unanimously. It was then signed into law by Governor Earl Kemp Long, who had returned for his third and final term in office. The law became a public issue when Louisiana State University
at Baton Rouge
forfeited a boxing
match for Malcolm E. Buhler (born 1935) of Baton Rouge against the black fighter Orville Pitts of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
According to Richard Carlton Haney in his book Canceled Due to Racism, the impetus for Gibbs's bill was probably the preceding Sugar Bowl
game in New Orleans
in January 1956, when the University of Pittsburgh
brought a black fullback
, Bobby Grier, for the game with Georgia Tech of Atlanta
, Georgia
. The new law jeopardized two scheduled football
games between LSU and UW. The Tigers were set to play in Madison
in 1957, and a second match-was to have followed in 1958 in Baton Rouge. Wisconsin was the only school with black players on the pending LSU schedule. Gibbs predicted that UW would have no alternative but to comply with his law or UW would lose revenue by not facing such a powerhouse team as LSU. Gibbs told the Wisconsin State Journal
of Madison in an interview published on July 18, 1956, that "This will be a strong inducement for leaving their colored players at home." Instead, UW, saying it would not yield to racial injustice, cancelled the football contract with LSU.
was converted by the middle 1970s to a new medical school through LSU. Author Brady M. Banta attributed then state Representative J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., a Caddo Parish
Democrat, with outmaneuvering Gibbs and the Ouachita Parish legislative delegation in procuring the medical school.
Retired from the legislature, Gibbs died in Monroe at the age of seventy-four. He was succeeded in the Senate by Lawson Swearingen
, a Democratic lawyer from Monroe who in 1991 became president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, having served in Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
-National protected areas:* Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge* D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 147,250 people, 55,216 households, and 38,319 families residing in the parish. The population density was 241 people per square mile...
from 1956 to 1980. He was a state representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from now District 16 from 1956 to 1976, when he entered the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from District 34 for a final four-year term of legislative service.
Background
Gibbs was first married to the former Bobbie Regina Hibbard (October 22, 1921–June 30, 1969), a native of JacksonvilleJacksonville, Texas
Jacksonville is located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,868 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville Combined Statistical...
in Cherokee County
Cherokee County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,659 people, 16,651 households, and 12,105 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 19,173 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the daughter of L. Jackson Hibbard and the former Lora Lexie Palmore. The couple had at least two sons, Kenneth L. Gibbs (born 1955) and Gary Dean Gibbs (born 1957). After Bobbie's death, Gibbs remarried. The second wife is Dorothy K. Gibbs (also born 1921) of Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
in northeastern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Segregationist
In July 1956, Representative Gibbs sponsored legislation that would "outlaw social events and athletic contests including both NegroNegro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
es and whites." The House approved the bill, 71-0, with 34 members missing, and the state Senate also passed the bill unanimously. It was then signed into law by Governor Earl Kemp Long, who had returned for his third and final term in office. The law became a public issue when Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
at Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
forfeited a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
match for Malcolm E. Buhler (born 1935) of Baton Rouge against the black fighter Orville Pitts of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
According to Richard Carlton Haney in his book Canceled Due to Racism, the impetus for Gibbs's bill was probably the preceding Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
game in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
in January 1956, when the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
brought a black fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
, Bobby Grier, for the game with Georgia Tech of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The new law jeopardized two scheduled football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games between LSU and UW. The Tigers were set to play in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
in 1957, and a second match-was to have followed in 1958 in Baton Rouge. Wisconsin was the only school with black players on the pending LSU schedule. Gibbs predicted that UW would have no alternative but to comply with his law or UW would lose revenue by not facing such a powerhouse team as LSU. Gibbs told the Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin State Journal
The Wisconsin State Journal is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin...
of Madison in an interview published on July 18, 1956, that "This will be a strong inducement for leaving their colored players at home." Instead, UW, saying it would not yield to racial injustice, cancelled the football contract with LSU.
Other legislative matters
On other matters, Representative Gibbs sought during the 1960s to bring a medical school to Monroe. Instead, the former Confederate Memorial Medical Center in ShreveportShreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
was converted by the middle 1970s to a new medical school through LSU. Author Brady M. Banta attributed then state Representative J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., a Caddo Parish
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Shreveport; as of 2000, the population was 252,161...
Democrat, with outmaneuvering Gibbs and the Ouachita Parish legislative delegation in procuring the medical school.
Retired from the legislature, Gibbs died in Monroe at the age of seventy-four. He was succeeded in the Senate by Lawson Swearingen
Lawson Swearingen
Lawson Lewis Swearingen, Jr. , is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, having represented District 34 from 1980 to 1991, and a former president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, whose tenure extended from 1991 to 2001.-Early life:Swearingen was born in San Antonio,...
, a Democratic lawyer from Monroe who in 1991 became president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
.