James Lester Gillis Jr. (October 2, 1916 – February 26, 2018) was an American politician in the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. Gillis was born to the prominent Gillis family of

Soperton, Georgia Soperton is a city in Treutlen County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,115 at the 2010 census, up from 2,824 in 2000. The city is the county seat of Treutlen County. History A post office was established at Soperton in 1902. The city ...

. His grandfather, Neil Gillis, was the founder of

Treutlen County, Georgia Treutlen County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,885. The county seat is Soperton. It is host to the Million Pines Arts and Crafts Festival which occurs ...

and a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

and his father, Jim L. Gillis, Sr. was a former member of the

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia ...

, as was his brother

Hugh Gillis Hugh Marion Gillis (September 6, 1918 – January 1, 2013) was an American politician. Early life and education Born in Soperton, Georgia, Gillis was a farmer and timber grower. He graduated from University of Georgia with a degree in agricu ...

. Jim L. Gillis, Jr. served on the Georgia Forestry Commission Board and is a former president of the American Turpentine Farmers Association, Georgia Forestry Commission, State Association of County Commissioners, Bank of Soperton, and Georgia Bankers Association. Gillis was a member of the Board of Directors at the Bank of Soperton from October 29, 1974 to September 28, 2016. He was a member of the Georgia Forestry Commission on February 14, 1977 until January 1, 2017 (being President from January 1981 to January 2007. He was the founder of the Ohoopee River Soil and Water Conservation District and a member of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Hall of Fame. He was a member of a conservation board for over 75 years, the longest term of any member ever. Gillis was the district supervisor of the Ohoopee River Soil Conservation District from 1939 to 2009. He served in the

in 1938 and from 1945 to 1946 and on the Treutlen County commission. He

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

in October 2016 and died in February 2018 at the age of 101, over 80 years since his first gubernatorial election.

References

1916 births 2018 deaths American centenarians Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Men centenarians People from Henry County, Georgia People from Soperton, Georgia {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub