Cecil Merle Gillespie was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania on January 1, 1905. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in business at Pennsylvania State College in 1926 and an M.B.A. in accounting at Northwestern University in 1928. His M.B.A. thesis was entitled “Accounting for Blast Furnace Operations.”
In 1928 Northwestern appointed Gillespie an instructor in accounting. The University promoted him to the rank of assistant professor in 1930, to associate professor in 1933, and to professor in 1938. At the time of his retirement in 1973 Gillespie was professor of accounting and information systems in Northwestern's Graduate School of Management.
A respected author, Gillespie was known especially well for his major textbook, Accounting Systems: Procedures and Methods. Published in three editions (Prentice-Hall, 1951, 1961, and 1971), this book was translated into several languages. Other books include Standard and Direct Costing (Prentice-Hall, 1962), formerly titled Accounting Procedure for Standard Costs (Ronald Press, 1935; Revised, 1952), and Introductory Cost Accounting (Ronald Press, 1932; Revised, 1941).
Gillespie married twice. His first wife, Dorothy Speirs, died in 1967; in 1971 he married Eunice Aherne.
From the guide to the Cecil M. Gillespie (1905- ) Papers, 1968-1987, (Northwestern University Archives)
