Alexander Garfield Gillespie (August 19, 1881 – January 17, 1956), sometimes known as A. G. Gillespie, was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Biography

Gillespie was born and raised on a family farm in Argentine Township, Michigan, near

Gaines, Michigan Gaines is a village in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 380 at the 2010 census. The village is within Gaines Township. History The Village of Gaines area did not see a settler until 1856. The first passenger ...

. He taught in the Dodder school district from 1901 to 1902 and attended Michigan Normal College in

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

. He passed an examination for admission to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

and, in 1902, enrolled at the Academy as a classmate of

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

Joseph Stilwell Joseph Warren "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946) was a United States Army general who served in the China Burma India Theater during World War II. An early American popular hero of the war for leading a column walking ...

and

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

. He also played at the end position for the Army Black Knights football team and was captain of the 1905 Army football team. He was selected by

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system ...

as a second-team member of his

1904 College Football All-America Team The 1904 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams included ''Collier's Weekly'' selected by Walter Camp. All-Americans ...

. After graduating from the Military Academy, Gillespie served in the

until December 1946, attaining the rank of brigadier general. In 1911, he was recalled to the Military Academy and served as an assistant coach on the football team; in that capacity, he served as the position coach for a first-year end by the name of

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. He was stationed in the Philippines at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and returned to the United States for wartime service at Camp Grant before being sent to France. After the war, he served as a military attache in Tokyo and then spent four years as an ordnance and gunnery instructor at West Point. Gillespie graduated from the

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1924 and the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

in 1929. In the mid-1930s, while in command of the Rock Island Arsenal, he supervised the development of the light tank. In the late 1930s, while in command of the Watervliet Arsenal, he helped develop the Army's eight-inch cannon. For his service as chief of the industrial section of the Ordnance Department during World War II, Gillespie received a

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

and a

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

award. He died in January 1956 at the

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Gillespie was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Alexander Garfield 1881 births 1956 deaths People from Genesee County, Michigan Eastern Michigan University alumni Army Black Knights football players American football ends Players of American football from Michigan United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Michigan United States Army personnel of World War I United States military attachés United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Military Academy faculty United States Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery