John Franklin Kibbey (May 4, 1826 - October 10, 1900) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, lawyer, and judge who served as the fifth Indiana Attorney General from March 19, 1862, to November 3, 1862.

Biography

Kibbey was born in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Wayne County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. His grandfather, Ephraim Kibbey, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War,

frontiersman A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts ...

, and member of the 1st Ohio General Assembly who embarked from

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and became an early settler of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. John F. Kibbey's father was John Crane Kibbey, who first settled in Wayne County in 1813, residing in the now-defunct town of Salisbury before moving to Richmond. John C. Kibbey would later move to Illinois before dying in 1861. John C. Kibbey's wife, the mother of John F., was Mary (née Espy) Kibbey. Kibbey obtained a rudimentary education from his father. In 1849, Kibbey began attending

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Kibbey remained at Miami University for three terms but never graduated. Also in 1849, back in Wayne County, Kibbey began to read law under

Oliver P. Morton Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton (August 4, 1823 – November 1, 1877), commonly known as Oliver P. Morton, was a U.S. Republican Party politician from Indiana. He served as the 14th governor (the first native-born) of Indiana during the Amer ...

. Kibbey was admitted to the bar in 1852 and began a legal partnership with Morton until 1860, when Morton was elected Lieutenant Governor of Indiana. Following Morton's departure, Kibbey continued to practice law, partnering with George Holland. While practicing law with Morton, Kibbey also served as surveyor of Wayne County, serving two terms until 1856. Kibbey was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. Following the resignation of Attorney General

John Palmer Usher John Palmer Usher (January 9, 1816 – April 13, 1889) was an American administrator who served in the Cabinet of President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. Life and career Born in Brookfield, New York, Usher trekked west in ...

in 1862, Oliver P. Morton (who was now serving as

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

) appointed his old student and friend Kibbey to be the new Attorney General. During his time in the position, Kibbey traveled to New York to launch an investigation against D.C. Stover, a member of the Indiana state government who had illegally forged stock certificates for his own gain. Kibbey served as Attorney General for less than a year before resigning. He was succeeded by Oscar B. Hord. In 1863, during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Kibbey was appointed military commander of the

congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

where he lived, tasked with finding volunteers to fight in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. Kibbey obtained the title of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. In 1865, Kibbey was appointed judge of the Wayne County Common Pleas Court. He was re-elected to the bench and served in the position until 1873, when the court was abolished. From 1873 to 1885, Kibbey served as judge of the Wayne County Circuit Court. After retiring from the bench, Kibbey returned to his private practice, working there until two years before his death. In both 1876 and 1882, Kibbey was nominated by Indiana Republicans as their candidate for a seat on the Indiana Supreme Court. Kibbey was defeated in both elections, however. Following the death of Oliver P. Morton in 1877, Kibbey was a

pallbearer A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person. Some traditions distinguish between the roles o ...

at his funeral in Indianapolis. In 1852, Kibbey married Caroline E. Cunningham. They had four sons and one daughter. Their eldest son, Joseph Henry Kibbey, born in Centerville, also became a lawyer and served as the sixteenth Territorial Governor of Arizona and as an Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court. Joseph H. Kibbey married the daughter of John A. Burbank, the Governor of Dakota Territory, who was the brother-in-law of Governor Morton. Another of John and Caroline's sons, Frank C. Kibbey, was a

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court and a veteran of the

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in th ...

. Kibbey was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. Kibbey died in Richmond in 1900.

References

1826 births 1900 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians People from Richmond, Indiana Indiana state court judges Miami University alumni Indiana Attorneys General Indiana Republicans Union Army colonels {{Indiana-politician-stub