[1][3] Gilkison received his primary education in a schoolhouse close to home before having to become a boarder to attend secondary school in Shoals and Loogootee.
[1] From 1935 to 1945, Gilkison, a Republican, served as judge of the 49th Circuit Court (comprising Martin and Daviess counties).
After becoming a judge, Gilkison's law office in Shoals was taken over by William E. Jenner, a local lawyer who later became a U.S.
[2] Gilkison became a judge of the Indiana Supreme Court in 1945, succeeding Justice Curtis Shake.
During his time on the court, Gilkison distinguished himself as a defender of personal liberty and inalienable rights.