John Andrew Gilmore was born on February 12, 1910 in Madison, Wisconsin. He was raised in the family’s home, an elegant Prairie style house designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.Known today as the “Airplane House,” the home was commissioned by Gilmore’s father, Dr. Eugene Gilmore, in 1909.

Gilmore’s adolescence was spent in the Philippines, where his father served as Vice Governor General during the Harding Administration. He attended the American School in Manila and later Phillips Andover Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. After earning degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Iowa, he began a successful career in law. His appointments included Attorney and Counselor of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. in 1939, Attorney and Counselor of the United States Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia in 1944, and District Counsel of the United States Treasury Department in 1954.

During World War II, Gilmore worked for the Roberts Commission at its headquarters in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. As Administrative Officer and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer from September 1943 to June 1945, his duties included the management of meetings minutes, payroll, and the coordination of administrative records. He also corresponded with prominent members of the MFAA in Europe, making sure they were up to date with the latest regulations and directives.

Gilmore resigned in June 1945 to accept a position with the Office of the General Counsel, Bureau of Internal Revenue (now the IRS). He later served as Assistant General Counsel in the corporate taxation department at Kemper Insurance in Wilmette, Illinois until his retirement in 1975.​

John Gilmore died on January 2, 1997 in Falmouth, Massachusetts.