Joseph Gillespie (August 22, 1809 – January 7, 1885) was an American politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Moving with his family to Illinois at a young age, Gillespie fought in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

before studying law at Transylvania University. Upon graduation, he was elected to a two-year term in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

, where he once jumped out of a window with Abraham Lincoln to stop a

quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

. He was elected to the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

in 1846, serving for twelve years. He was a founder of the Illinois Republican Party and served on the

Illinois circuit courts The Illinois circuit courts are state courts of the U.S. state of Illinois. They are trial courts of original jurisdiction. There are 24 judicial circuits in the state, each comprising one or more of Illinois' 102 counties. The jurisdiction of s ...

for twelve years.

Biography

Joseph Gillespie was born on August 22, 1809, in New York City. In 1819, his father moved the family near Edwardsville, Illinois. Because there were few schools in the area, Gillespie was educated at home by his mother. Gillespie left with his brother for the lead rush of Galena, Illinois, on February 22, 1827. After little success, he returned to Edwardsville in 1829 and worked on his father's farm. However, he was determined to practice law as a profession and moved to

Wood River Wood River may refer to: Rivers In Canada * Wood River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Columbia River via Kinbasket Lake * Wood River (Saskatchewan), a river in south-west Saskatchewan In Ireland * Wood River (County Clare), Kilru ...

to study under

Cyrus Edwards Cyrus Edwards (June 17, 1793 – August 31, 1877) was an American lawyer and politician. Edwards was born in Montgomery County, Maryland. He moved with his family to Kentucky. Edwards studied law and was admitted to the Illinois bar in Kaskask ...

, the brother of Ninian Edwards a founding political figure of the state of Illinois. After two years of study, the

broke out. Gillespie enlisted under Gen.

Samuel Whiteside Samuel Whiteside (April 12, 1783 – January 12, 1866) was an Illinois pioneer. A farmer and backwoodsman, Whiteside briefly served in the Illinois General Assembly after statehood and led the Illinois militia for decades, rising to the rank ...

's mounted regiment. Following the end of the war in September 1832, Gillespie studied law at Transylvania University. When he returned to Illinois, he was soon elected Probate Judge of Madison County. In 1840, he was elected to the

as a Whig. In 1839, the Whig representatives learned of an attempt by House Democrats to suspend the Whig-controlled state banks. The Whigs were a minority in the House, but Democrats needed more than two Whigs to be present to take a legal

. Democrats managed to bring enough members to take the quorum and locked the doors to keep the Whigs in session. To escape the quorum, Gillespie, Abraham Lincoln, and at least one other Whig jumped out of a first-floor window. Their efforts, however, were in vain. After a two-year term, Gillespie returned to Edwardsville to practice law. In 1846, he was elected to the

, serving three four-year terms. In 1850, Gillespie worked with two other senators to force the Illinois Central Railroad to pay 7% of its gross earnings to the state. He advocated for the connection of Alton, Illinois, which was in his district, to a new railroad; the line became known as the Terre Haute & Alton before it was merged into the

Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States. It operated in affiliation with the New York Central system. ...

. Gillespie then became the railway company's lawyer and was frequently consulted by other lines. After his final Senate term expired, he returned to his law practice, partnering with his nephew David Gillespie. In 1856, Gillespie was selected as one of the ten delegates to the

Bloomington Convention The Bloomington Convention was a meeting held in Bloomington, Illinois, on May 29, 1856, establishing the Illinois Republican Party. It was an attempt to unite Anti-Nebraska members of the Opposition Party into a single party. The convention adopte ...

, the founding of the Illinois Republican Party. He oversaw the next state Republican convention in 1860. Gillespie was elected to the

in 1861, serving until his retirement in 1873. He worked with other judges to create the Illinois Appellate Court. Gillespie married Mary E. Smith in June, 1845. They had three surviving children: one daughter and two sons. He died at his home in Edwardsville on January 7, 1885. Joseph Gillespie is the namesake of

Gillespie, Illinois Gillespie is a city in Macoupin County, Illinois, Macoupin County, Illinois, United States and part of the Metro East region of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The population was 3,168 at the 2020 census. Gillespie provides police protection for ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Joseph 1809 births 1885 deaths Abraham Lincoln American people of the Black Hawk War Illinois Republicans Illinois state court judges Illinois state senators Illinois Whigs 19th-century American legislators Members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Edwardsville, Illinois People from Wood River, Illinois Politicians from New York City Transylvania University alumni 19th-century Illinois politicians