James Frank Gillespie (April 18, 1869 – November 26, 1954) was an American politician who was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

from 1933 to 1935.

Biography

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 mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, 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 10,559 at the 2020 census. History Danville was founded in 1824, and its post office one year later. Danville was incorporated as a town in ...

. 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 The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

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 Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

, 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 Politicians 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 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly