In 1853 he was elected to the
Maine legislature. After moving to Minnesota, where he built the
North Star Woolen Mill at
Saint Anthony Falls, he served on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents from 1871 through 1879, and was a founding trustee of
Lakewood Cemetery. When
William A. Clark resigned from the United States Senate, Gibson, a Democrat, was elected to fill the seat, and he served from March 7, 1901, until March 3, 1905. He did not seek re-election. He died in Great Falls and is buried there in Highland Cemetery. ==Personal life==