WHEREAS, Mayor Ken Gibson was born Kenneth Allen Gibson on May 15, 1932, in Enterprise, Alabama; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson’s family moved to the Central Ward of Newark, New Jersey, when he was eight years old, and Mayor Gibson went on to graduate from Central High School; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson studied civil engineering at the Newark College of Engineering, which is now the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and subsequently worked in engineering at the New Jersey Highway Department; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson served in the United States Army as a civil engineer; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson served in an engineering position at the Newark Housing Authority from 1960 to 1966 and as Chief Structural Engineer for the City of Newark from 1966 to 1970; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson was elected as Mayor of Newark in 1970, becoming the first African-American mayor in Newark’s history and the first African-American mayor of any major city in the northeastern United States; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson was re-elected three times as Mayor of Newark and served in office from 1970 to 1986; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson became the first African-American president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1976; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson was credited with stabilizing Newark’s finances during difficult economic times and improving Newark’s health services, leading to reductions in rates of tuberculosis and infant and maternal mortality; and

WHEREAS, the revitalization that Newark is currently experiencing has its roots in Mayor Gibson’s tenure; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson passed away on March 29, 2019, at the age of 86; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Gibson was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, whose presence will be missed by his family, his friends, his colleagues, and by the people of Newark whom he served well; and

WHEREAS, it is with immense sadness that we mourn Mayor Gibson’s passing, and extend our deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and colleagues; and

WHEREAS, it is appropriate to honor the exemplary character, outstanding achievements, and cherished memory of Mayor Gibson, and to mark his passing;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on Monday, April 1, 2019, in recognition and mourning of a committed public servant, Mayor Kenneth Allen Gibson.