# Graham Gibbons

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**Edmund Graham Gibbons II** (10 March 1920 – 18 June 2016) was a [Bermudian](/source/Bermuda) businessman and politician who served as the mayor of [Hamilton](/source/Hamilton,_Bermuda) from 1972 to 1988.[1] Gibbons was the brother of the late Sir [David Gibbons](/source/David_Gibbons_(Bermudian_politician)), the former [Premier of Bermuda](/source/Premier_of_Bermuda) from 1977 until 1982. Together, the Gibbons brothers owned and operated the Edmund Gibbons Ltd., a [holding company](/source/Holding_company), and its affiliated companies, for more than forty years.[1]

## Biography

### Early life

Gibbons was born in 1920. His father, businessman Edmund Gibbons, had co-founded the family business, which he and his brother would later inherit.[1] He had two siblings, David Gibbons and Patsy (née Gibbons) Phillips.

Graham Gibbons served in the [cipher office](/source/Cipher) of the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II). Gibbons, who was stationed for almost a year at [Admiralty House](/source/Admiralty_House,_Bermuda) in Bermuda, worked on breaking German codes during the war.[1] He was also deployed to cipher offices in [Jamaica](/source/Colony_of_Jamaica) and [British Ceylon](/source/British_Ceylon).[1]

Gibbons married his wife, the former Ida Gibson, a painter and [watercolorist](/source/Watercolorist), in 1949.[1] The couple had two children - daughter, Tracy Gibbons, and a son, Grant Gibbons, a politician and government minister. Graham and Ida Gibbons remained married until her death from cancer in 1988.[1]

### Business and political career

He returned to Bermuda following the war. In 1946, Gibbons joined his family's company, which had been co-founded by his father.[1] Graham Gibbons oversaw the retail divisions of Edmund Gibbons Ltd., while his brother, David Gibbons, oversaw the company's other holdings, including Bermuda Motors and Colonial Insurance.[1] He served as the President of Edmund Gibbons Ltd. until his retirement during the 1980s.[1] Additionally, Gibbons headed the [Bermuda Chamber of Commerce](/source/Bermuda_Chamber_of_Commerce) from 1950 to 1951.[1]

Graham Gibbons served as the mayor of Hamilton, Bermuda's capital city, from 1972 to 1988, an unusually long tenure for the mayor's office.[1] He was awarded [Commander of the Order of the British Empire](/source/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire) (CBE) in 1985 during his time as mayor.[1]

Gibbons directed much of his family's philanthropic efforts to the [Bermuda National Trust](/source/Bermuda_National_Trust), which preserves the island's heritage.[1] Graham Gibbons had originally inherited 19 acres of the family's sprawling property, known as Locust Hall and located in [Devonshire Parish](/source/Devonshire_Parish), while his sister, Patsy Phillips, who worked for the Bermuda National Trust, inherited six acres of Locust Hall.[1] In a surprise charitable gift, Graham Gibbons donated the family's entire Locust Hall property to the Bermuda National Trust, with the stipulation that it remain intact as farmland and woodlands.[1]

Gibbons died on Saturday morning, 18 June 2016, at the age of 96.[1] He was survived by his two children: Tracy and [Grant Gibbons](/source/Grant_Gibbons), the current Minister of Economic Development of Bermuda. Gibbon's funeral was held at the [Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity](/source/Cathedral_of_the_Most_Holy_Trinity,_Bermuda) in Hamilton.[1][2] His wife, painter Ida Gibbons, died from cancer in 1988.[1] His brother, former Premier David Gibbons, died in 2014.[3]

## References

1. Bell, Jonathan (2016-06-22). ["Former Hamilton mayor Gibbons dies"](https://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20160621/former-hamilton-mayor-gibbons-dies). *[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)](/source/The_Royal_Gazette_(Bermuda))*. Retrieved 2016-07-04.

1. ["Edmund Graham Gibbons II obituary"](http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theroyalgazette/obituary.aspx?pid=180399133). *[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)](/source/The_Royal_Gazette_(Bermuda))*. 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2016-07-04.

1. Hainey, Raymond (2014-03-31). ["Former Premier Sir David Gibbons dies, aged 85"](https://www.royalgazette.com/article/20140331/NEWS/140339995). *[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)](/source/The_Royal_Gazette_(Bermuda))*. Retrieved 2016-07-04.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Graham Gibbons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Gibbons) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Gibbons?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.