| Thomas Van Renssalaer Gibbs | |
| State House: | Florida |
| District: | Duval County |
| Birth Date: | 16 September 1855 |
| Birth Place: | New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Education: | West Point |
| Spouse: | Alice Menard |
| Children: | 3 |
| Party: | Republican |
| Term: | 1885–1887 1887–1889 |
Thomas Van Renssalaer Gibbs (September 16, 1855 – October 31, 1898) was a member of the 1885 Florida Constitutional Convention, served in the Florida House of Representatives, and was a school administrator.[1] He was nominated to West Point by Representative Josiah T. Walls, who was also African American.[2]
In the legislature, Gibbs helped pass legislation establishing a white normal school in Gainesville, Florida and a "colored school" in Jacksonville. State Normal College for Colored Students was a predecessor of Florida A&M College and was relocated to Tallahassee where it opened in 1887 with 15 students. Gibbs served as its assistant principal and Vice President until his death in 1898.[3] The only son of Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, Thomas married Alice Menard, the daughter of politician John Willis Menard who in 1868 was the first African American elected to Congress.