James Frank Gillespie was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

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Born in White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County, W.Virginia, Gillespie attended the graded schools and Concord (W.Virginia) 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, Indiana

Danville is a town in Center Township, Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,001at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Hendricks County. -History:...

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He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 in 1892 and commenced practice in Charleston, W.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 State house of representatives in 1913 and 1914.

Gillespie was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Seventy-third

73rd United States Congress

The Seventy-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1933 to January 3, 1935, during the first two years...

 Congress (March 4, 1933-January 3, 1935).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934 to the Seventy-fourth

74th United States Congress

-House:Also 2 Delegates, 3 Resident Commissioners-Senate:*President of the Senate: John N. Garner *President pro tempore: Key Pittman -Majority leadership:*Majority leader: Joseph T. Robinson...

 Congress and for election in 1936 to the Seventy-fifth

75th United States Congress

The Seventy-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1937 to January 3, 1939, during the first two years...

 Congress.
He resumed the practice of law in Bloomington, Illinois

Bloomington, Illinois

Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...

, until his death there on November 26, 1954.
He was interred in Park Hill Cemetery.