John Gaff Gillespie was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 17 September 1870 and was articled to James Milne Monroe (1840-1921) from 1886 to 1891. He also attended Glasgow School of Art. From 1891 to November 1903 he worked in the office of James Salmon & Son in Glasgow. The practice had been established by James Salmon in 1872. Following his death in 1888 it was continued by his son, William Forrest Salmon (1843-1911), who retained the original name of the firm. In November 1903, Gillespie became a partner in the practice which was renamed Salmon, Son & Gillespie. Following the death of Salmon in 1911, Gillespie continued the practice until June 1913. Gillespie formed a new partnership with William Alexander Kidd (1879-1929) in 1918, although the name of the firm did not change to Gillespie & Kidd until 1926.
Gillespie was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1906. Gillespie died in Kings Park Lanarkshire Scotland on 7 May 1926
See: Dictionary of Scottish Architects 1660-1980 [link below]
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001
Gray, A. Stuart. Edwardian architecture: a biographical dictionary. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co., Ltd., 1985
‘Obituary’. The Builder vol. 131, 23 July 1926 p. 142
‘Obituary’. RIBA Journal vol. 33, 1925-26 pp. 495, 520
Walker, David M. ‘The Partnership of James Salmon and John Gaff Gillespie’ in Edwardian Architecture and its Origins. Edited by Alastair Service. London: Architectural Press, 1975 pp. 236-249