John Curry Gibson was a career state employee. Unfortunately, only the outline of this career is known. Gibson was born in 1921, raised in Madison, Wisconsin, and graduated from West High School. In 1946 he graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in business administration. After working as a clerk with American Exchange Bank he began working for the State Audit Department in 1953 as an accountant. About 1954 he began working in the Division of Departmental Research in the Governor's Office. This office which had been created by statute in 1939 was responsible for investigating the operation of administrative agencies, departments, and institutions, boards, and commissions and for advising the governor on the operation of state government. In 1956 Gibson became assistant research director and shortly thereafter (circa 1958) he was promoted to the position of research director. As such, he was the governor's chief advisor on governmental administration. In 1959 the Legislature created the Department of Administration, combining in it the former Bureaus of Engineering, Personnel and Purchases, the Department of Budget and Accounts, and the Division of Departmental Research. The new department was divided functionally into six branches. These were the bureaus of Engineering, Finance, General Services, Management, Personnel, and Purchases. The department was given the responsibility of assisting other agencies of state government and anticipating and resolving administrative and financial problems which might confront state government. An important component of this last responsibility was to act as the governor's chief policy advisor and financial manager in the preparation of the state budget.
John Gibson was assigned the position of director of the Bureau of General Services in the new division. As such he was responsible for many of the housekeeping services of state government including maintaining and operating the state Capitol and other state office buildings; operating the Capitol switchboard; administering Central Stores, the record center, and shipping, mail, and messenger services; administering state printing; and acquiring and leasing space for state agencies.
In 1962 DOA was reorganized and the Bureau of General Services was combined with the Bureau of Purchases to created the Bureau of Purchases and Services. This new entity assumed all the responsibilities of the Bureau of General Services as well as control of all purchasing and construction contracts.
As a result of this structural reorganization Gibson was appointed deputy director of the bureau. In this capacity his primary responsibility was space allocation and state printing. In 1964 he was appointed director of Reproduction Services, a position which reported directly to the commissioner of DOA.
Later during the 1960s he became assistant director of the Bureau of Financial Operations. Gibson retired during the early 1980s.
