Newton W. Gilbert

Newton Whiting Gilbert (May 24, 1862 – July 5, 1939) was an American politician from Indiana. He was member of the Indiana State Senate from 1896 to 1900, Lieutenant Governor of Indiana from 1900 to 1904, and elected Republican to the 59th Congress from 1905 to 1906.^[1]

Newton Whiting Gilbert
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 12th district
In office March 4, 1905 – November 6, 1906
Preceded by	James M. Robinson
Succeeded by	Clarence C. Gilhams
7th Philippine Secretary of Public Instruction
In office March 1, 1909 – December 1, 1913
Appointed by	William Cameron Forbes
Preceded by	William Morgan Shuster
Succeeded by	Henderson S. Martin
Acting Governor-General of the Philippines
In office September 1, 1913 – October 6, 1913
Preceded by	William Cameron Forbes
Succeeded by	Francis Burton Harrison
Vice Governor-General of the Philippines
In office February 14, 1910 – November 30, 1913
Preceded by	William Cameron Forbes
Succeeded by	Henderson S. Martin
25th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
In office January 11, 1901 – January 14, 1905
Governor	Winfield T. Durbin
Preceded by	William S. Haggard
Succeeded by	Hugh Thomas Miller
Member of the Indiana Senate
In office 1896-1900
Personal details
Born	May 24, 1862 Worthington, Ohio, U.S.
Died	July 5, 1939 (aged 77) Santa Ana, California, U.S.
Resting place	Circle Hill Cemetery, Angola, Indiana
Political party	Republican

He then left for the Philippines and served eleven years in islands.^[2] In 1908, he was appointed member of the Philippine Commission^[3] and Chairman of the Board of Regents of the newly-established University of the Philippines.^[4] He was also appointed as the Philippine Secretary of Public Instruction. He then became Vice Governor-General of the Philippines from 1910 to 1913 and acting Governor-General in 1913.^[1][5]

Early life and education

Gilbert was born on May 24, 1862 in Worthington, Franklin County, Ohio. His parents moved in 1875 to Steuben County, Indiana.^[1] His father was Theodore Gilbert, a country merchant in Ohio, while his mother, Ellen L. Johnson, was the granddaughter of former Governor of Virginia, Joseph E. Johnson.^[6] He studied law at the Ohio State University and was admitted to the bar in 1885.^[1]

Career

Gilbert as member of the Indiana State Senate, c. 1899

Gilbert depicted in the special edition of The Filipino Teacher, dated April 1910

In his early career, he practiced as a lawyer in Angola, Indiana^[7] and was appointed surveyor of Steuben County, Indiana in 1886. During the Spanish-American War, he was captain of Company H, One Hundred and Fifty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry.^[1]

He was the 25th lieutenant governor of Indiana from 1900 to 1904, a member of the Indiana State Senate from 1896 to 1900 and a representative in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1905 until his resignation on November 6, 1906.^[1][5] In 1906, he accepted his appointment as judge of the court of first instance in Manila.^[7][1] He was Chairman of the Board of Regents and acting President of the University of the Philippines since its establishment in 1908.^[4][8] In 1910, he became Vice Governor-General of the Philippine Islands^[3] and an acting governor-general of the Philippines from September 1, 1913, to October 6, 1913.^[5]

In 1908, Newton W. Gilbert also served on the Philippine Commission, the appointed upper house of the Philippine Legislature of the American colonial Insular Government of the Philippines.^[3]

In 1916, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.^[1]

Philippine independence

Amidst the discussion on Philippine independence in 1930 on the U.S. Senate, Gilbert sent a letter to the Senate Territories Committee that U.S. withdrawal in the Philippines would disturb the "equilibrium" of the Far East. He feared of possible Chinese invasion and consequences of a World War.^[2]

It is only possible to keep them from the islands now by our Chinese exclusion act, which applies in the Philippine Islands. How can the Filipinos keep them out? It would require an army, and more, a navy, to keep the Chinese from their shores.

— Newton W. Gilbert, The New York Times (March 4, 1930)^[2]

In 1937, Gilbert retired from politics. He moved to Santa Ana, California and died there on July 5, 1939.^[1]

Legacy

Gilbert Bridge in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

In 1914, the Gilbert Bridge in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines was completed and named after his honor.^[9]

Selected publications

• Gilbert, Newton W. (July 1, 1933). "Effects of Independence on the Philippines". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 168 (1): 162–165. doi:10.1177/000271623316800121. ISSN 0002-7162.
• Gilbert, Newton W. (1927). "Our Promises Should Be Kept". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 131: 14–18. doi:10.1177/0002716227131001S04. ISSN 0002-7162. JSTOR 1015505.