Seth Merrill Gates (October 16, 1800 – August 24, 1877) was an American merchant, attorney and politician. He served as a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

and as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the U.S. state of New York.

Early life

Gates was born in Winfield, New York, the son of Seth Gates and Abigail (Merill) Gates. In 1806, he moved to

Sheldon, New York Sheldon is an incorporated town in Wyoming County, New York. The population was 2,409 at the 2010 census. The Town of Sheldon is on the west border of Wyoming County. The town is southeast of Buffalo. History The Town of Sheldon was founded i ...

with his family, He attended the common schools and Middlebury Academy located in the village of

Wyoming, New York Wyoming is a village in Wyoming County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village has a total population of 434. The Village of Wyoming lies within the Town of Middlebury by the eastern town line. Wyoming is located on New Yor ...

before working as a teacher.

Career

He became inspector of the common schools, and in 1825, he served as the

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Le Roy, New York Le Roy, or more commonly LeRoy, is a town in Monroe County, New York or Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 7,641 at the time of the 2010 census. The town is named after one of the original land owners, Herman Le Roy. The ...

. He studied law and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1827. He began the practice of law in Le Roy and served as supervisor of Le Roy in 1830. In 1832, he served as a Whig member of the New York State Assembly. He declined to be a candidate for renomination. He was elected as an antislavery member of the twenty-sixth and twenty seventh U.S. Congresses, serving from March 4, 1839 to March 3, 1843. While in Congress, he drafted the protest signed by the Whigs in Congress against the

Texas annexation The Texas annexation was the 1845 annexation of the Republic of Texas into the United States. Texas was admitted to the Union as the 28th state on December 29, 1845. The Republic of Texas declared independence from the Republic of Mexico on ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection. In 1843, he moved to

Warsaw, New York Warsaw is a town in Wyoming County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 5,064 at the 2010 census. It is located approximately 37 miles east southeast of Buffalo and approximately 37 miles southwest of Rochester. The town may h ...

, and continued the practice of law. He was also engaged in the lumber trade and a merchant. In 1848, on the Barnburners and

Free Soil The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...

ticket, and in 1852, on the Free Democratic ticket, he was twice an unsuccessful candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...

. Due to his pronounced hostility to slavery, a southern planter offered $500 for his apprehension. From 1851-1865, he was the secretary of the Wyoming County Insurance Company. In 1861, he was appointed postmaster at Warsaw, serving until 1870.

Death

Gates died on August 24, 1877 in Warsaw, and is interred in Warsaw Cemetery. His home, the Seth M. Gates House, at

was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1992.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, Seth Merrill 1800 births 1877 deaths Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) Free Soilers People from Warsaw, New York People from Winfield (town), New York Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Le Roy, New York People from Sheldon, New York 19th-century American politicians