John Edward Gibben (1885 – 1958)
John Gibben was born in Middlesborough, Yorkshire, England. He was brought to Winnipeg in 1896 and received his education there. He served overseas in the First World War and was invalided home in 1917. He completed his studies at the University of Manitoba and was called to the Manitoba bar in 1921. He was a member of the Coleman, Swail and Gibben law firm from 1930 to 1938, and moved to Yellowknife to become the stipendiary magistrate for the NWT. He and Mrs. Gibbon moved to Whitehorse about 1941 to act as stipendiary magistrate and Indian Agent for the Yukon.1) Gibben was appointed Yukon’s Acting Controller, to replace George Jeckell in 1946.2) He assumed the office of Public Administrator for the Yukon Territory in March 1947.3) He was officially appointed Controller of the Territory in October 1947.4) He took the permanent position [of Commissioner of the Yukon in 1948] after being promised additional staff to handle the huge administrative chores.5)
John Gibben was responsible for recommending solutions to the poverty and rampant tuberculosis in the Indigenous population. The pace of northern development was quickening and new communities along the Alaska Highway needed infrastructure and services. Gibben prepared detailed assessments of the budget needs and this resulted in the first federal-territorial agreement to provide significant federal money for roads, schools, and hospitals. The federal Deputy Minister came to Dawson and, for the first time, the Yukon Council was included in the planning process. The Council’s workload increased to two sessions per year to approve amendments and budgets for capital projects. The title of Commissioner was reinstated to indicate Yukon’s growing significance in Canada, although increased funding brought increased scrutiny from Ottawa.6)
After the death of his wife in 1950, Gibben resigned as Commissioner and moved to Whitehorse where he became a territorial court judge.7) Judge Gibben married again to the former Rhoda MacDonald in 1951.8)