U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs donates papers to Ohio State

U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs has donated his official congressional papers to The Ohio State University.

Gibbs served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2003-2008 and the Ohio Senate from 2009-2010. Gibbs represented the people of the 18th Congressional District of Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-2013 and the people of the 7th Congressional District from 2013 to his retirement in January 2023.

“During his decades in public service at the local, state and federal levels, Rep. Gibbs has long championed the interests of the Buckeye state. The Gibbs congressional collection of public papers will provide a window into his legislative accomplishments and the inner workings of both his office and the House itself, and serve as an important resource for scholars and members of the public for years to come,” said President Kristina M. Johnson. “I thank Rep. Gibbs for supporting his alma mater and for making this important contribution.”

“It is my pleasure to donate documents from my tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives to my alma mater, The Ohio State University,” said Rep. Gibbs. “My professional life has involved agriculture at every step. I spent decades in production agriculture raising crops and livestock. And through Ohio Farm Bureau and my time in office, I worked to address environmental, property rights, and trade issues that affect production agriculture. As a member of the OSU Agricultural Technical Institute’s first graduating class in 1974 and early employment at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State had a remarkable impact on my agricultural career. This in turn helped inform my time as a member of the Ohio General Assembly and a United States Congressman. I hope the availability of these documents for students and scholars inspires the next generation of Ohio’s agricultural leaders to become advocates for the responsible stewardship of our natural resources and production agriculture. They can help ensure our state’s agricultural community stays at the forefront of providing safe and affordable food while protecting the environment and providing for a strong rural economy.”

Gibbs graduated from The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in 1974 and worked in the animal sciences department at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center prior to founding Hidden Hollow Farms in Holmes County. Gibbs has been active in the Ohio Farm Bureau, having served on the board of trustees from 1985-2001 and two terms as president. He is the only former Farm Bureau president to be elected to Congress.

During his time in Congress, Gibbs continued his legacy of advocacy for both agriculture and small business. He sat on the House Agriculture Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he served as chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Through this committee work, Gibbs helped reform federal water resource policy and fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and assisted small communities’ access to affordable clean water utilities.      

Gibbs’ congressional collection includes materials related to his six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and contains legislative files, correspondence and audiovisual materials.

Gibbs’ papers will become part of the Ohio Public Policy Archives (OPPA), a special collection of The Ohio State University Libraries. OPPA compiles, preserves and makes accessible the unique historical materials documenting the immediate and long-term impact of Ohio members of the U.S. Congress.

The Gibbs collection will be open to students, faculty and the general public for research in 2028 after the papers have been sorted and arranged by archivists.

For further information, contact Carly Dearborn, Public Policy Archivist, at 614-247-1605 or dearborn.8@osu.edu.