Background
Gillespie was born and raised on a family farm in Argentine Township, Michigan, near Gaines, Michigan.
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Alexander Gillespie
Edit ProfileEducation
He taught in the Dodder school district from 1901 to 1902 and attended Michigan Normal College in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Career
He also played at the end position for the Army Black Knights football team and was captain of the 1905 Army football team He was stationed in the Philippines at the outbreak of World War I and returned to the United States for wartime service at Camp Grant before being sent to France. After the war, he served as a military attache in Tokyo and then spent four years as an ordnance and gunnery instructor at West Point.
In the mid-1930s, while in command of the Rock Island Arsenal, he supervised the development of the light tank.
In the late 1930s, while in command of the Watervliet Arsenal, he helped develop the Army"s eight-inch cannon. He died in January 1956 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, District of Columbia
Achievements
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After graduating from the Military Academy, Gillespie served in the United States Army until December 1946, attaining the rank of brigadier general. Foreign his service as chief of the industrial section of the Ordnance Department during World World War II, Gillespie received a Distinguished Service Medal and a Legion of Merit award.
Membership
He was selected by Walter Camp as a second-team member of his 1904 College Football All-America Team.
Connections
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Born
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Died
January 17, 1956 (aged 70) -
Nationality
United States
Awards
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Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.