The Gillespies moved to Des Moines, where James completed compulsory education.
He attended Highland Park College and Drake University, then began his pharmaceutical career in 1917, eventually operating a number of drugstores throughout Des Moines.
Gillespie served in the military during the final year of World War I.
Gillespie was the first Democratic legislator to hold that seat in eight decades, from which he stepped down on January 8, 1939.
[1] Gillespie died of a heart attack on February 16, 1959, while at home in Des Moines.