US Congressman. Elected to represent North Carolina's 5th District in the US House of Representatives, he served four terms, from 1793 to 1799 and from 1803 until his death. There is some dispute over when and where Gillespie was born. Most sources claim Kenansville, North Carolina as his birthplace, while others assert he came to the colonies from County Monaghan, Ireland. His family owned extensive acreage in the Cape Fear region and was prominent in local affairs. During the Revolutionary War he was a Captain in the State Militia before entering politics, becoming a member of the State Constitutional Convention (1776), the State House of Commons (1779 to 1783), and the State Senate (1784 to 1786). Gillespie was first elected to Congress as an Anti-Administration candidate but subsequently switched to the Republican Party. He died in Washington, DC shortly before completing his last term and was buried at the now-defunct Presbyterian Cemetery in Georgetown. In 1893 his remains were reinterred at Congressional Cemetery, where there is also a cenotaph in his memory (Range 31, Site 58).
US Congressman. Elected to represent North Carolina's 5th District in the US House of Representatives, he served four terms, from 1793 to 1799 and from 1803 until his death. There is some dispute over when and where Gillespie was born. Most sources claim Kenansville, North Carolina as his birthplace, while others assert he came to the colonies from County Monaghan, Ireland. His family owned extensive acreage in the Cape Fear region and was prominent in local affairs. During the Revolutionary War he was a Captain in the State Militia before entering politics, becoming a member of the State Constitutional Convention (1776), the State House of Commons (1779 to 1783), and the State Senate (1784 to 1786). Gillespie was first elected to Congress as an Anti-Administration candidate but subsequently switched to the Republican Party. He died in Washington, DC shortly before completing his last term and was buried at the now-defunct Presbyterian Cemetery in Georgetown. In 1893 his remains were reinterred at Congressional Cemetery, where there is also a cenotaph in his memory (Range 31, Site 58).
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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