Andrew E. Gibson

Andrew Gibson
United States Maritime Administrator
In office March 25, 1969 – July 6, 1972
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Nicholas Johnson
Succeeded by	Robert J. Blackwell
Personal details
Born	(1922-02-19)February 19, 1922 New York City, New York
Died	July 8, 2001(2001-07-08) (aged 79) Short Hills, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Massachusetts Maritime Academy (BS) Brown University (BA) New York University (MBA) Cardiff University (PhD)

Andrew E. Gibson, (19 February 1922 in New York City- 8 July 2001 in Short Hills, New Jersey) was an American shipping executive, maritime administrator and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Maritime Affairs, 1969-1973, and historian of American maritime policy.

Education and early career

Andrew E. Gibson graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, then located in Boston, in 1943 and joined the United States Lines where he was master of the Liberty Ship SS Leonidas Merritt in the Pacific from 1944 to 1946.

When the war ended, Gibson took a job with the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Fall River, Massachusetts. He enrolled in Brown University in 1948, where he majored in economics and graduated in 1951.

Later maritime career

During the

in 1969 and served in that capacity, as well as assistant secretary for Maritime Affairs in the Department of Commerce until 1972. He was instrumental in drafting legislation for the Merchant Marine Act of 1970 and successfully negotiated the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Maritime Agreement of 1972. He also served as assistant secretary for domestic and international business. Later, he was appointed to the and as ambassador to the International Labour Organization.

After leaving government service, Gibson was president of Interstate Oil Transportation Company, 1973–1974, president of Maher Terminals, Inc., 1975–1977, president of Delta Steamship Lines, 1979–1982, and chairman of American Automar, 1983–1988.

Academic career

He was an adjunct faculty member at the

from 1988–1992 in the Department of National Security and Decision Making and was a visiting fellow at the College from 1992 through 2001.

His publications include articles in The U.S. Naval Institute

, both in 1972.

Gibson died on July 8, 2001, at his home in Short Hills, New Jersey.

Sources

The above biographical sketch is from Evelyn M. Cherpak, Register of the Andrew E. Gibson Papers. (Newport, RI: Naval Historical Collection, Naval War College, 2005), a U.S. government publication in the public domain.