James Frank Gillespie (April 18, 1869 – November 26, 1954) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. Born in White Sulphur Springs,

Greenbrier County Greenbrier County () is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,977. Its county seat is Lewisburg. The county was formed in 1778 from Botetourt and Montgomery counties in Virginia. History P ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

, Gillespie attended the graded schools and Concord Normal School. He taught in the public schools at White Sulphur Springs, W.Virginia, in 1891 and 1892. Principal of White Sulphur Springs High School in 1891. He studied law at Central College,

Danville, Indiana Danville is a town in and the county seat of Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,001 at the 2010 census, up from 6,418 at the 2000 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 10,126. History Danville was founded in 18 ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1892 and commenced practice in Charleston, West Virginia. He moved to Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, in 1894 and continued the practice of law. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He served in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1913 and 1914. Gillespie was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Seventy-third Congress (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934 to the Seventy-fourth Congress and for election in 1936 to the Seventy-fifth Congress. He resumed the practice of law in Bloomington, Illinois, until his death there on November 26, 1954. He was interred in Park Hill Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, James Frank 1869 births 1954 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers American school administrators Concord University alumni Illinois lawyers Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Bloomington, Illinois Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia People from White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia West Virginia lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Lawyers from Charleston, West Virginia Educators from Illinois