[1][2] Gibbons was born at Mulberry Hill, his family's plantation outside of Savannah, Georgia, on December 15, 1757.

[4] Between 1752 and 1762, his father acquired several thousand acres between the Ogeechee and Savannah Rivers where he operated a saw mill, grew rice, and owned over 100 slaves.

[6] Following the Americans' victory over the British, Gibbons and other remaining Tories were convicted of treason and he was considered a prisoner of the Sheriff of Chatham County.

[5] His estate was confiscated and only after executive order was he permitted to remain at his mother's and allowed and to pass between there and Savannah.

[5] In January 1783, Gibbons petitioned the Assembly for citizenship, which was granted six months later under the stipulation that he could not vote, hold office for 14 years, or practice law.

[5] Between 1791 and 1801, only four years after being granted full rights of citizenship, Gibbons served several terms as the Mayor of Savannah, Georgia, from 1791 to 1792, again in 1794 to 1795 and lastly from 1799 to 1801, as a Democratic-Republican.

Senator from New Jersey, which in part asserted that the sexual liaison between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings was a reality.

[3] Vanderbilt biographer T. J. Stiles described Gibbons as "a staggeringly rich rice planter from Georgia.

Gibbons launched his steamboat venture because of a personal dispute with Ogden, whom he hoped to drive into bankruptcy.

The landmark legal case, known as Gibbons vs. Ogden, was fought all the way to the United States Supreme Court, where Gibbons, represented by Daniel Webster and U.S. Attorney General William Wirt, eventually won in 1824.