ON this date in 1915, Mifflin Wistar Gibbs, an important figure in the African American community, died. Gibbs was born in 1823 in Philadelphia, and he was a businessman, civil rights advocate, and the first African American to serve on the city council of Little Rock, Arkansas. He was known for his involvement in the abolitionist movement, specifically in the Underground Railroad and with Frederick Douglass and his work in advancing the rights of African Americans during the 19th century.

In addition to his political contributions, Gibbs was also a clothing retailer, the publisher of the first African American newspaper in California, Mirror of the Times, the first African American elected municipal judge, and a U.S. consul to Madagascar. Gibbs was also a prominent voice in both the African American and wider American communities. His legacy remains significant in the history of African American civil rights.