Gibson became involved in politics as a member of the Whig Party with strong anti-slavery views . During the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1844 , he gave stump speeches for Henry Clay due to the Whig Party 's platform that opposed admitting Texas into the Union because it was a slave state . In the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1848 , Gibson supported Whig candidate , " Rough and Ready " General Zachary Taylor . However , he was concerned about the Whig Party 's lack of opposition to the abolition of slavery and personally visited Henry Clay at his home in Ashland , Kentucky in 1848 to discuss this issue . He lost as a Whig candidate for Ohio Attorney General in 1853 . In 1853 , following the large defeat of the Whig candidate General Winfield Scott in the U.S. Presidential election of 1852 , Gibson threw his support to the Free Soil Party and began organizing what would become the Republican Party in Ohio . He attended the first organization meeting of the Republican Party in spring of 1856 in Pittsburgh . He was one of the 69 Ohio delegates ( of a total 600 delegates from around the country ) that attended the first Republican National Convention held in Philadelphia in June 1856 . In 1856 , he ran and was elected as the first Republican to hold the office of Ohio State Treasurer
first Republican National Convention
1856 Republican National Convention
William Harvey Gibson