Donnell Gilliam was born in Tarboro, North Carolina on March 12, 1889.

[1] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1909 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1910.

He was in private practice in Tarboro from 1923 to 1945, also serving as a North Carolina district solicitor from 1923 to 1945.

[2] On May 3, 1945, Gilliam was nominated by President Harry S. Truman to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina vacated by Judge Isaac Melson Meekins.

Gilliam was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 15, 1945, and received his commission on May 18, 1945.