Josiah Willard Gibbs Sr. (30 April 1790 – 25 March 1861) was an American linguist and theologian, who served as professor of sacred literature at Yale University. He is remembered mainly for his involvement with the Amistad case and as the father of theoretical physicist Josiah Willard Gibbs.
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Early life and education
Josiah Gibbs was born in Salem, Massachusetts, into an old New England family with a scholarly tradition. His parents were Henry and Mercy (Prescott) Gibbs. Mercy was the sister of Rebecca Minot Prescott, wife of US Founding Father Roger Sherman. One of Josiah's ancestors, Samuel Willard, had served as acting President of Harvard College from 1701 to 1707.
Josiah Gibbs graduated from Yale College in 1809 and was a tutor there from 1811 to 1815. He then relocated to Andover, Massachusetts, where he pursued private studies in Hebrew and the Bible guided by Moses Stuart. Gibbs returned to Yale in 1824 as lecturer in the Theological Institution of Yale College. He was eventually promoted to a professorship at Yale Divinity School's department of sacred literature, a job that he continued to occupy until his death.