David Courtney Coates (August 9, 1868 – January 28, 1933) was a publisher and printer, labor union leader and socialist politician who served as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, secretary and president of Colorado's State Federation of Labor, president of the American Labor Union and chairman of the National Party. Coates was born in Brandon, County Durham, England. His parents, George and Mary Coates, emigrated to the United States in 1881 and initially settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1882 the family relocated to

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most popu ...

, where his father was employed as an engineer at the steelworks. Coates briefly worked in the mines before entering the publishing and printing industry. He worked for several newspapers in Colorado including the Pueblo Evening Star and Rocky Mountain News and founded several others, including the Pueblo Press, Colorado Chronicle and Pueblo Courier. He married Sadie B. Pearce on 14 October 1890 and a daughter, Hazel Marie, was born on 1 February 1893. He served as secretary of the Colorado State Federation of Labor between 1897 and 1899 and president between 1899 and 1901. He testified before the Industrial Commission as part of their investigation into mining on 14 July 1899. Coates was elected Lieutenant Governor of Colorado on a fusion ticket, having received the nominations of the Democratic, Populist and Silver Republican parties. In 1901, Lieutenant Governor Coates volunteered, and was dispatched by Colorado Governor James Orman, to be part of a commission sent to Telluride to investigate an uprising of miners from the

Western Federation of Miners The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) was a labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into ...

during a strike. A shooting war was triggered when one of the strikers, believed to have been unarmed, had been shot through the throat by a deputized mine guard. In spite of intense pressure from others, Coates helped to persuade the governor not to send the

Colorado National Guard The Colorado National Guard consists of the Colorado Army National Guard and Colorado Air National Guard, forming the state of Colorado's component to the United States National Guard. Founded in 1860, the Colorado National Guard falls under t ...

. The commission was able to effect a settlement between the miners and the company, negotiating between union leader

Vincent St. John Vincent Saint John (1876–1929) was an American labor leader and prominent Wobbly, among the most influential radical labor leaders of the 20th century. Biography Vincent St. John was born in Newport, Kentucky and was the only son of New York ...

and the Smuggler-Union Mine Company's general manager, Arthur L. Collins. In 1903, Coates was elected vice president of the American Labor Union and became president of the union in 1905 following the resignation of Dan McDonald. In this role he attended the founding convention of the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines gener ...

. Coates was offered the presidency of that organization, but declined to accept it. The IWW later abolished the office of the presidency. In his autobiography,

Big Bill Haywood William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood (February 4, 1869 – May 18, 1928) was an American labor organizer and founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a member of the executive committee of the Socialist Party of A ...

credited Coates with suggesting a slogan for the IWW: '' an injury to one is an injury to all''.William Dudley Haywood, The Autobiography of Big Bill Haywood,1929, pp. 186. The slogan has since been used by a number of labor organizations. Between 1904 and 1906, Coates resided in Wallace, Idaho, where he printed and published the Idaho State Tribune. Coates moved to

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

in 1906, where he established Coates, Hughes & Coates publishing and printing company with his brother William and Harley L. Hughes. In 1911, he was elected city commissioner for public works on the socialist ticket and served in this role until 1914. He then moved to

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

, where he served as editor of the ''Nonpartisan Leader'', the official publication of the Nonpartisan League, between 1915 and 1917. Coates was a member of the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...

for most of his life. He left the party over its

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campai ...

policies and served as chairman of the short-lived National Party during World War I. In the 1920s, Coates moved to

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, where he published the North Hollywood Sun. He collapsed and died at his home in

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

in 1933 and is buried in the Hollywood Forever cemetery.

References

political graveyard section including piece on CoatesPresidents and Speakers of the Colorado General Assembly: A Biographical Portrait Since 1876.
Coates' biography is on page 20 of the pdf file. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coates, David C. English emigrants to the United States Industrial Workers of the World members Lieutenant Governors of Colorado Members of the Socialist Party of America National Party (United States) politicians People from Pueblo, Colorado 1868 births 1933 deaths People from Brandon, County Durham British emigrants to the United States