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James Gillespie (U.S. politician)

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James Gillespie
James Gillespie's cenotaph.
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina
In office
November 10, 1803[a] – January 10, 1805
Preceded byNathaniel Macon
Succeeded byThomas S. Kenan
Constituency5th district
In office
January 6, 1794[b] – March 3, 1799
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byWilliam H. Hill
Constituency6th district
Additional positions
Member of the North Carolina Senate
In office
1792
1789
1784–1786
Preceded byRobert Clinton
Member of the
North Carolina House of Commons
In office
May 1779 – September 1780
Preceded byThomas Hicks
Succeeded byThomas Hicks
John Molton
In office
April 15, 1782 – June 3, 1784
Preceded byThomas Hicks
John Molton
Succeeded byRobert Dickson
Member of the
5th North Carolina Provincial Congress
In office
November 12, 1776 – December 23, 1776
Personal details
Born1747
County Monaghan, Ireland
DiedJanuary 10, 1805(1805-01-10) (aged 57–58)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeCongressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party
Spouse
Dorcas Mumford
​
​
(m. 1770; died 1801)​
Alma materUniversity of Dublin
Occupation
Military service
Branch/serviceNorth Carolina militia
Years of service
  • 1776–1782
RankColonel
Unit1st Battalion of Volunteers (1776–1777)
Duplin County Regiment (1780–1782)
Battles/wars

James Gillespie (1747 – January 10, 1805) was an American Revolutionary War veteran and politician from North Carolina. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1793 and died in office on January 10, 1805. Prior to serving in the U.S. Congress, Gillespie was a member of the North Carolina House of Commons, the North Carolina Senate, the North Carolina Council of State, and held various other positions in the state government. An ardent Anti-Federalist, he voted twice against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Life[edit]

Early life[edit]

The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress incorrectly gives his birthplace as Kenansville, North Carolina, which did not exist at the time of his birth.[1] Several sources, including William S. Powell's Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, family sources, the National Archives and Records Administration, and North Carolina state publications mention he was born in Ireland[2][3][4] in County Monaghan.[5][6] James Gillespie was one of five children born to David Gillespie and Mrs. (née Brison) Gillespie. He was educated at the University of Dublin[7] and immigrated to New Bern, North Carolina, from Ireland with two of his brothers, Archibald and Borthick Gillespie. Borthick would later return to Ireland.[8] His brother Archibald was a prominent citizen of Onslow County and was issued a commission of the peace and dedimus by the governor in 1777.[9] Some allegations of misconduct were placed against Archibald when he was a Justice of the Peace of Onslow County, but they were found to be groundless.[13]

He purchased a plantation known as "Golden Grove" located one mile east of Kenansville before the start of the Revolutionary War.[14] The area in which he lived was known as the village of Grove and he was a member of the Grove Presbyterian Church which still maintains an active congregation.[2]

Revolutionary War and political career[edit]

He was a member of the 5th North Carolina Provincial Congress in Halifax that drafted the state constitution.[4]

Gillespie was appointed as captain of the 1st Battalion of Volunteers and the Duplin County Regiment of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War.[14] The State Records of North Carolina, published in 1907, lists him as the rank of private and sergeant on a list of North Carolina Revolutionary Pensioners.[15] Gillespie also served in the North Carolina House of Commons (1779–1783) from Duplin County, then in the North Carolina Senate (1784–1786, 1789, 1792). He fought and was a participant in the Battles of Heron's Bridge, Rockfish Creek, and Elizabethtown as a member of the militia.[16] During the war, his home was burned down by Tories[14] led by Major James Henry Craig.[5] He advanced to the rank of colonel in the militia.[4]

He voted against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution at the first convention on August 1, 1788. He attended the second convention in Fayetteville in November 1789, elected as a representative of Duplin County. He voted against the successful ratification on the second vote on November 21, 1789,[20] advocating with others for a Bill of Rights.[5]

Gillespie held various positions in the state government of North Carolina, serving as commissioner of confiscated property, secretary to the governor, superintendent of the press, and on the Council of State. He defeated James Kenan in a North Carolina Senate election in 1791. Gillespie was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 1793. He opposed the Jay Treaty signed in 1794 by George Washington with Great Britain. In 1800, Gillespie broke his hip while in Washington, D.C.[5] He died while in office serving as a U.S. congressman on January 10, 1805.[21] He was buried at the Presbyterian Burying Ground in Georgetown, D.C.[22] By an act of Congress, his remains were removed to Congressional Cemetery on April 1892.[23] A cenotaph at the cemetery is located at Range 31 Site 58; his ashes were transferred to the cemetery and now lie under the marble monument.[24]

Political and social views[edit]

The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress mentions that Gillespie was elected as a candidate to the 3rd U.S. Congress (March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795) and represented the Anti-Administration party. He later became a Democratic-Republican before being elected as a Democratic-Republican to the 4th and 5th U.S. Congresses (March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1799) and later to the 8th U.S. Congress (March 4, 1803 – January 10, 1805).[1]

Powell's Dictionary of North Carolina Biography mentions Gillespie was a Federalist during his time as congressman.[25]

Gillespie was a slave owner. In the 1790 census he is listed as owning over 2,000 acres and 30 slaves.[14] His family owned a large amount of land in the lower Cape Fear region of North Carolina in Duplin County.[6]

Personal life[edit]

James Gillespie married Dorcas Mumford of Onslow County, and they had at least 7 children. His son David fought in the War of 1812 and was a member of the House of Commons from Bladen County.[6][14]

Legacy[edit]

Two letters from Gillespie to the Governor Richard Caswell have been published as part of the digital publishing initiative Documenting the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries.[26] The earlier letter dates to the Revolutionary War in 1777, when Gillespie wrote to the Governor requesting for a William Gillespie to be freed from his confinement at Cross Creek in present-day Fayetteville.[27]

Two additional letters written by Gillespie to James Madison during Madison's term as the 5th U.S. Secretary of State have been published on the National Archives and Records Administration website.[30]

Gillespie took part in the meetings to merge Cross Creek and Campbellton into Fayetteville, which named a street, Gillespie Street, in his honor.

A historical marker in Kenansville was dedicated to Gillespie on July 6, 2018, in an event titled "Honoring the Life of a Noteworthy Patriot", organized by his descendants, the Duplin County Historical Society, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.[31]

See also[edit]

Note[edit]

  1. ^ The 8th Congress officially began on October 17, 1803. He was sworn in on November 10, 1803.
  2. ^ The 3rd Congress officially began on December 2, 1793. He was sworn in on January 6, 1794.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b United States Congress. "James Gillespie (id:G000196)" Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  2. ^ a b "Duplin County Event to Honor American Revolution Patriot and Statesman". The Bladen Journal. Clarkton, North Carolina. June 18, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "To James Madison from James Gillespie, 21 February 1804 (Abstract)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 21, 1804. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "N.C. Highway Historical Marker to Recognize Revolutionary Era Colonel and Congressman". North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. June 21, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "James Gillespie ca. 1747-1805 (F-72)". North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. December 18, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Collection No. 00275, Gillespie and Wright Family Papers, 1735-1990". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  7. ^ Allen, Sarah Cantey Whitaker (1935). Our Children's Ancestry. Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S.: Sarah Cantey Whitaker Allen. pp. 484–5 – via the Internet Archive.
  8. ^ "Gillespie Family Genealogical Record". Randall Library Special Collections. University of North Carolina Wilmington.
  9. ^ "Minutes of the North Carolina Council of State". Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. June 11, 1777.
  10. ^ "October 19: re Archibald Gillespie of Onslow County (with messages), 1779". State Archives of North Carolina.
  11. ^ "April 27: re complaint against Archibald Gillespie, Onslow County justice (rejected and sent to a joint committee), 1780". State Archives of North Carolina.
  12. ^ "April 27: re allegations against Archibald Gillespie, 1780". State Archives of North Carolina.
  13. ^ [10][11][12]
  14. ^ a b c d e Schrader, Richard A. (1986). "James Gillespie". NCpedia. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  15. ^ Saunders, William Lawrence (1907). Clark, Walter McKenzie (ed.). The State Records of North Carolina. Vol. XXII. Goldsboro: Nash Brothers Book and Job Printers. p. 67. OCLC 1085316449 – via the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ "Capt. James Gillespie". Carolana. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  17. ^ Saunders, William Lawrence (1907). Clark, Walter McKenzie (ed.). The State Records of North Carolina. Vol. XXII. Goldsboro: Nash Brothers Book and Job Printers. pp. 16–26. OCLC 1085316449 – via the Wayback Machine.
  18. ^ Saunders, William Lawrence (1907). Clark, Walter McKenzie (ed.). The State Records of North Carolina. Vol. XXII. Goldsboro: Nash Brothers Book and Job Printers. p. 37. OCLC 1085316449 – via the Wayback Machine.
  19. ^ Saunders, William Lawrence (1907). Clark, Walter McKenzie (ed.). The State Records of North Carolina. Vol. XXII. Goldsboro: Nash Brothers Book and Job Printers. p. 49. OCLC 1085316449 – via the Wayback Machine.
  20. ^ [17][18][19]
  21. ^ House Document No. 108-153 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–1949 p. 81 Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.
  22. ^ "To Be Removed to Congressional Cemetery". Washington Evening Star. April 8, 1892. p. 9.
  23. ^ "Removed to Congressional Cemetery". Washington Evening Star. April 13, 1892. p. 4.
  24. ^ Ely, Selden Marvin (1918). "The District of Columbia in the American Revolution and Patriots of the Revolutionary Period Who Are Interred in the District or in Arlington". Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 21: 140–141. JSTOR 40067102.
  25. ^ Powell, William Stevens. Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. Vol. 2: D–G. p. 299. OCLC 941428022.
  26. ^ "Colonial and State Record Documents by Gillespie, James, 1747–1805". Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2004.
  27. ^ "Letter from James Gillespie to Richard Caswell, July 31, 1777". Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. July 31, 1777. p. 744.
  28. ^ "To James Madison from James Gillespie, 5 March 1804 (Abstract)". National Archives and Records Administration. March 5, 1804. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  29. ^ "Letters from James Gillespie to James Madison". National Archives and Records Administration. 1804. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  30. ^ [3][28][29]
  31. ^ "Historical Marker Dedication-Honorable James Gillespie". North Carolina Sons of the American Revolution. 2018.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 5th congressional district
1803–1805 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
District created
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 6th congressional district
1793–1799 		Succeeded by
North Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the
North Carolina Senate
1784–1786, 1789, 1792 		Succeeded by
Unknown
North Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the
North Carolina House of Commons
1779–1780, 1782–1784 		Succeeded by
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