Benjamin Gates (August 6, 1873 – October 3, 1943) was a

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

attorney and politician who served as

Vermont Auditor of Accounts The Vermont State Auditor of Accounts is one of six constitutional officers in Vermont, elected statewide every two years. The Office provides an independent and objective assessment of Vermont's governmental operations. The current Auditor is ...

Early life

Gates was born in

Pittsford, Vermont Pittsford is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 2,862. Named for William Pitt, it has two picket forts used in the American Revolutionary War. History Pittsford was first settled as a ...

on August 6, 1873. He was raised in Sudbury and educated at

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

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 Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

Volunteer Regiment for the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, 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 ...

Waldo County, Maine Waldo County is a county in the state of Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,607. Its county seat is Belfast. The county was founded on 7 February 1827 from a portion of Hancock County and named after ...

, and then at

Camp Alger Camp Alger, near Falls Church, Virginia, was established May 18, 1898, for the Spanish–American War effort.''Report of the Commission Appointed by the President to Investigate the Conduct of the War Department in the War with Spain,'' 8 vols., S ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

near

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

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 Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, 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. 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 The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

. 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 Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as man ...

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)