Paris Gibson

Paris Gibson

Paris Gibson (born July 1, 1830 in Brownfield , Oxford County , Maine , † December 16, 1920 in Great Falls , Montana ) was an American businessman and politician who served the state of Montana from 1901 to 1905 as a Democrat in the US Senate represented.

Life

After finishing school, Gibson graduated from Bowdoin College in 1851 . In Maine, he also began his political career as a member of the House of Representatives . He later moved to Minnesota , where he worked as a businessman. When he was unsuccessful there, he was drawn to the west. In 1880 he was inspired by a visit to the Missouri River waterfalls to use their potential for generating hydropower .

Gibson convinced the railroad tycoon James J. Hill , with whom he was friends, to invest in the project. With Hill's support, the city of Great Falls was founded in 1883, which was also to become a railway location. In 1887 railway lines ran from Great Falls to Butte and Helena , but not the main lines of Hills Great Northern Railway , which ran north of the place. Even so, Great Falls became a trading center for the local farmers and ranchers. The built dams supplied the local industry with energy.

Gibson was also politically active in his new home. He was the first mayor of Great Falls and attended the 1889 Constitutional Convention of Montana. In 1890 he was elected to the State Senate. On March 7, 1901, he took the place of the resigned William A. Clark in the US Senate . He remained there until March 3, 1905 and did not apply for re-election.

Web links

• Paris Gibson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Paris Gibson in the database of Find a Grave (English)