James Arthur "Jim" Gibbons is an American politician. He served as the 28th Governor of the U.S. state of Nevada from 2007 to 2011. He is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, having served from 1997 to 2006. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born in Sparks, Nevada, Gibbons interrupted his studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, during the Vietnam War to serve in the United States Air Force . He also attended Southwestern Law School, in Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California for post-graduate studies. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air... Command and Staff College and the Air War College, he joined the Nevada Air National Guard in 1975 and served as its vice commander from 1990 to 1996, participating in the first Gulf War. During his military career, Gibbons earned nineteen service medals, including the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross. In civilian life, he has worked as a lawyer in private practice, an airline pilot for both Western Airlines and Delta Air Lines, a hydrologist and a geologist. Gibbons is a nonpracticing Latter-day Saint.
more