James_Gillespie_(politician)

James Gillespie (politician)

James Gillespie (politician)

American politician (1747–1805)


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. He also served in the North Carolina House of Commons, and other various positions in the state government.

Quick Facts Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina, Preceded by ...

Life

Early life

There is some uncertainty about Gillespie's early life. William Stevens Powell's Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, published in 1986, and some family sources state that he was born in County Monaghan, Ireland.[1][2] A state publication of North Carolina described him as "Irish-born" in 2018.[3] The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress gives his birthplace as Kenansville, North Carolina.[4]

He purchased a plantation known as "Golden Grove" located one mile east of Kenansville before the start of the Revolutionary War.[5]

Revolutionary War and political career

He was a member of the 5th North Carolina Provincial Congress in Halifax that drafted the state constitution.[3]

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.[5] 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.[6] Gillespie also served in the North Carolina House of Commons (1779–1783) from Duplin County, then in the North Carolina Senate (1784–1786). He fought and was a participant in the Battles of Heron's Bridge, Rockfish Creek, and Elizabethtown as a member of the militia.[7] During the war, his home was burnt down by Tories.[5] He advanced to the rank of colonel in the militia.[3]

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.[11]

He died while in office as a congressman on January 10, 1805.[12] He was buried at the Presbyterian Burying Ground in Washington, D.C.[13] By an act of Congress, his remains were removed to Congressional Cemetery on April 1892.[14] 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.[15]

Political and social views

The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress mentions that Gillespie was elected as a Anti-Administration party candidate to the 3rd U.S. Congress (March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795) and later was 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).[4]

Powell's Dictionary of North Carolina Biography mentions Gillespie was a Federalist during his time as congressman.[16]

Gillespie was a slave owner. In the 1790 census he is listed as owning over 2,000 acres and 30 slaves.[5] His family owned a large amount of land in the lower Cape Fear region of North Carolina in Duplin County.[2]

Personal life

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.[2][5]

Legacy

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.[17] 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.[18]

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.[21]

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.[22]

See also

Note

  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.
  3. He is mentioned as a Federalist party congressman in Powell's Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, published in 1986. Although his entry in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress does not mention any association with the Federalist Party.

References

  1. [1]
    "To James Madison from James Gillespie, 21 February 1804 (Abstract)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 21, 1804. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  2. [2]
    "Collection No. 00275, Gillespie and Wright Family Papers, 1735-1990". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  3. [3]
    "N.C. Highway Historical Marker to Recognize Revolutionary Era Colonel and Congressman". North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. June 21, 2018.
  4. [4]
    United States Congress. "James Gillespie (id:G000196)" Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  5. [5]
    Schrader, Richard A. (1986). "James Gillespie". NCpedia. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  6. [6]
    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.
  7. [7]
    "Capt. James Gillespie". Carolana. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  8. [8]
    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.
  9. [9]
    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.
  10. [10]
    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.
  11. [11]
    [8][9][10]
  12. [12]
    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.
  13. [13]
    "To Be Removed to Congressional Cemetery". Washington Evening Star. April 8, 1892. p. 9.
  14. [14]
    "Removed to Congressional Cemetery". Washington Evening Star. April 13, 1892. p. 4.
  15. [15]
    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.
  16. [16]
    Powell, William Stevens. Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. Vol. 2: D–G. p. 299. OCLC 941428022.
  17. [17]
    "Colonial and State Record Documents by Gillespie, James, 1747–1805". Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2004.
  18. [18]
    "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.
  19. [19]
    "To James Madison from James Gillespie, 5 March 1804 (Abstract)". National Archives and Records Administration. March 5, 1804. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  20. [20]
    "Letters from James Gillespie to James Madison". National Archives and Records Administration. 1804. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  21. [21]
    [1][19][20]
  22. [22]
    "Historical Marker Dedication-Honorable James Gillespie". North Carolina Sons of the American Revolution. 2018.
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