Oscar William Gillespie (June 20, 1858 – August 23, 1927) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for the state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Born near

Quitman, Mississippi Quitman is a city in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States, along the Chickasawhay River. The population was 2,323 at the 2010 census. Quitman is the county seat of Clarke County. History Quitman was established in 1839 and named as the count ...

, Gillespie attended private schools and graduated from Mansfield College, Texas, in 1885. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1886 and commenced his law practice in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

. He was assistant attorney of

Tarrant County Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 2 ...

from 1886 to 1888. He then served as

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

of Tarrant County from 1890 to 1894. Gillespie was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-eighth Congress from

Texas's 12th congressional district Texas's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives is in the north portion of the state of Texas. As of 2017, the 12th district contained 806,551 people and had a median income of $67,703. It consists of the weste ...

, and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1903 until March 4, 1911. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910. Gillespie's original nomination to Congress was the result of a game of lots. In 1902, the Democrats were unable to decide among three candidates for nomination to Texas's 12th Congressional District. Gillespie and his main opponent, Judge Lee Riddle, put their names in a hat, drew one out and the loser agreed to withdraw and support the winner. Gillespie won the game of lots, and was nominated on the 7201st ballot. He resumed the practice of law in Fort Worth, where he died August 23, 1927. He was married Ms. Ada Kate Hodges on December 23, 1884. He is interred in Mansfield Cemetery in

Mansfield, Texas Mansfield is a suburban city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area. The city is located mostly in Tarrant county, with small parts in Ellis and Johnson counties. Its location is approximately 30 miles f ...

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Oscar William 1858 births 1927 deaths People from Tarrant County, Texas Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas People from Quitman, Mississippi