Benjamin Gates (August 6, 1873 – October 3, 1943) was a Vermont attorney and politician who served as Vermont Auditor of Accounts.

Early life

Gates was born in Pittsford, Vermont on August 6, 1873. He was raised in

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and educated at Brandon Grammar School and Montpelier Seminary.

Career

From 1893 to 1894 and 1901 to 1902 he studied at the Law Department of the University of Michigan. Gates joined Company A, 1st Connecticut Volunteer Regiment for the Spanish–American War, and served from May to October, 1898, first at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...

in Waldo County, Maine, and then at Camp Alger, Virginia near Washington, D.C. From 1899 to 1901 he was Deputy Clerk of the Washington County Court. In 1903 Gates passed the bar and became an attorney in Montpelier. Gates married Bernice Hunt on November 9, 1904. A Republican, Gates served as Montpelier's Grand Juror from 1904 to 1906, and was Washington County State's Attorney from 1906 to 1910. In 1912 Gates served as Assistant Clerk of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

. From 1916 to 1917 Gates served as Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs (chief assistant) to Governor

Charles W. Gates Charles Winslow Gates (January 12, 1856 in Franklin, Vermont – July 1, 1927) was an American politician who served as the 55th governor of Vermont from 1915 to 1917. Biography Gates was born January 12, 1856, son of Harrison and Leona Rebecca ...

. In 1916 Gates was elected Vermont Auditor of Accounts. He won reelection every two years until 1938. Gates did not run for a thirteenth term in 1940, and served until the expiration of his final term in January 1941. After retiring, Gates was appointed as executive clerk on the staff of Governor William H. Wills; in fact, he acted as an advisor and counselor to the heads of the state government's executive departments and leaders of the Vermont General Assembly. In addition to serving as State Auditor, Gates was president of the Vermont Building, Savings, and Loan Association, a trustee of the Wood Art Gallery, and a trustee of Green Mount Cemetery. Gates died at Heaton Hospital in Montpelier on October 3, 1943. He was buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, Benjamin (Vermont) 1873 births 1943 deaths People of the Spanish–American War People from Montpelier, Vermont Military personnel from Connecticut Vermont Republicans State Auditors of Vermont University of Michigan Law School alumni People from Pittsford, Vermont Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Burials at Green Mount Cemetery (Montpelier, Vermont)