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PRINCIPALS
Sam M. Gibbons
Sam Gibbons, Chairman of
Gibbons & Company, provides
strategic counsel and advocacy on a broad range of public policy
and international trade law matters to global businesses and
governmental entities.
Mr. Gibbons served in the United States Congress as a Member of
the House of Representatives for 34 years (1962 – 1997). He was
Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and its Subcommittee on
Trade, Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, and
U.S. Advisor to the World Trade Organization (WTO). He has extensive
expertise in the areas of international trade, taxation, health
care, public and private pensions, appropriations, and
education. During his service in the Congress, Mr. Gibbons
worked on a bipartisan basis with eight U.S. Presidents on major
domestic and international policy initiatives. For his
distinguished service in the Congress he was honored by his
former colleagues in 2004 and received the Congressional
Statesman Award.
As a leading architect of American trade policy for more than 25
years Mr. Gibbons is recognized as one of the foremost
proponents of open markets and free trade. As Chairman of the
Trade Subcommittee in Congress, he sponsored every major trade
law enacted from 1976 – 1997, including The Trade Acts of 1979,
1984 and 1988, legislation implementing the Tokyo and the
Uruguay Rounds of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade,
the Caribbean Basin Initiative, the U.S./Israel Free Trade
Agreement, the U.S./Canada Free Trade Agreement, the Andean
Trade Preference Act, expanded trade dialog with China and
Vietnam, and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
While Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, Mr.
Gibbons led trade and interparliamentary delegations throughout
Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. He conferred
regularly with heads of governments, their trade and economic
officials, and business leaders in the United States and abroad.
Mr. Gibbons served as Chairman of the Trade and Economic
Committees of the U.S./Canada and U.S/ Mexico Interparlimentary
Groups, and Co-Chairman of the U.S./European Union
Interparlimentary Group. He counseled numerous U.S. Trade
Representatives on international trade negotiations and
legislation and served as a Bush/Cheney transition advisor on
international trade policy and presidential appointments. For
his relentless leadership in promoting more open and free trade
policies in the western hemisphere, he was unanimously selected
by all the presidents of the countries in Latin America and the
Caribbean to receive the distinguished Eagle of the America’s
Award.
During his 28 years on the House Committee on Ways and Means,
Mr. Gibbons advocated reform of the Federal income and payroll
tax systems. He was a vigorous advocate of legislation to repeal
these systems and replace them with a simplified, broad-based,
border-adjustable, value-added tax. He was also involved in the
development of every Federal healthcare financing law since the
inception of Medicare in 1966. A strong proponent of pension
protections and pension portability, he was the original sponsor
of legislation creating the individual retirement account (IRA).
Before election to the United States Congress, Mr. Gibbons
served for 10 years in the Florida Legislature, where he was
instrumental in establishing the University of South Florida,
now the 11th largest university in the United States. Prior to
that he practiced law in Tampa, Florida. He received his
undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida and
is admitted to practice law in Washington, D.C., Florida, and
before the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Gibbons served as an officer during World War II with the
U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. He led parachute infantry
forces in major combat actions, including the pre-dawn D-Day
invasion of Normandy, the invasion of Holland, the Battle of
Bastogne, the capture of Berchesgarden and further operations in
central Europe and Austria. He was awarded the Bronze Star for
valor. French President Chirac recently presented Mr. Gibbons
with France’s most prestigious award, the Legion of Honor.
Mr. Gibbons is the primary subject of Tom Brokaw’s best-selling
book “The Greatest Generation.”
Clifford S. Gibbons
Clifford Gibbons has over
twenty-five years experience representing clients before the
U.S. Congress, the White House, Federal departments, regulatory
agencies and foreign governments. His areas of expertise include
taxation, appropriations, international trade, health care,
higher education, insurance, financial services, environmental
policy and food and product safety. He also advises clients on
economic and commercial opportunities to enhance competitive
market advantages.
Mr. Gibbons received his law degree from Florida State
University and his undergraduate degree from University of South
Florida. His professional career began in 1976 as a trial
attorney prosecuting criminal cases for the State Attorney's
office in Tampa, Florida. In 1979, he served in the Office of
Vice President of the United States and was later appointed
Special Assistant to the President, in the Office of the United
States Trade Representative. While serving in that position, Mr.
Gibbons authored A Preface to Trade.
After leaving the White House, Mr. Gibbons served as counsel to
the Grocery Manufacturers of America, Inc. and later with the
government relations practice with the Washington law firm of
Hogan & Hartson, L.L.P. In 1990, Mr. Gibbons established the
government relations and public affairs firm of Gibbons &
Company, Inc., where he serves as president.
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