Gibson, Alexander C.

Born: 1797-XX-XX New York

Died: 1874-08-14 Aurora, Illinois

Flourished: Kane County, Illinois

Alexander C. Gibson was an attorney, railroad executive, farmer, real estate investor, newspaper editor, judge, Whig, and, later, a Republican. After practicing law in Washington County, New York for a time, in 1842 he purchased several hundred acres of land in Kane County, Illinois. In 1847, he relocated to Aurora, Illinois, settling on a farm in North Aurora. Soon after, he became co-director of the Aurora Branch Railroad Company. His ambition increased over time, and he became more involved in local affairs. In September 1856, he became editor of the Daily Beacon, which he edited until April 1857. Later that year, he was elected first judge of the Aurora Court of Common Pleas, a position he held for two years. Afterward, he retired to his farm. By 1860, he had grown quite wealthy, owning a personal estate valued at $4,000 and another $18,250 in real estate.

R. Waite Joslyn and Frank W. Joslyn, History of Kane County, Ill. (Chicago: Pioneer, 1908), 1:446-47, 492, 505, 576; Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Kane County, 685:60-61, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Aurora, Kane County, IL, 254.