Harry V. Gates
| Harry V. Gates | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1895–1897 |
|
| Constituency | Washington County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 30, 1847 Lowell, Massachusetts |
| Died | October 13, 1935 (aged 88) Portland, Oregon |
| Resting place |
Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery 45°31′14″N 123°00′17″W / 45.52062°N 123.00463°WCoordinates: 45°31′14″N 123°00′17″W / 45.52062°N 123.00463°W |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Melvina Batcheller |
Harry Verner Gates (July 30, 1847 – October 13, 1935) was an American engineer and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Massachusetts, he later lived in Iowa worked on the railroads before settling in Hillsboro, Oregon, where he shifted to water projects. A member of the Republican Party, he served a single term in the Oregon House of Representatives. His former home in Hillsboro is the historic Rice–Gates House, and his former ranch in Central Oregon is now the Crooked River Ranch.
Harry Gates was born on July 30, 1847, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to John M. and Lydia S. (née Bowker) Gates. He grew up in Iowa where he attended the local public schools in DeWitt. In 1862, he enlisted with the 6th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry during the time of the American Civil War. Gates was a private, later serving as bugler, and spent three years in the military, leaving in 1865. His unit fought against Native Americans on the Great Plains.
Following his time in the army, he worked for the Davenport and St. Paul Railroad as a leveler in 1869 and then in 1870 was placed in charge of building track and bridges on the Callao, Lima & Oroya Railway in Peru. Gates married in 1871 to Helen Melvina Batcheller, and they had three children, Oliver, Helen, and Samuel. In 1880, he worked for the Northern Pacific Railway where he was responsible for the locating party through the Cascade Range. The next year Gates started working for the Oregon & Pacific Railroad in Corvallis, first as their locater then as superintendent of construction, and in 1886 he was the railroad's superintendent. Gates continued to work for the railroads, and was responsible for the construction of over 2,000 miles of track from 1891 until 1922. He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad as superintendent of construction from 1887 until 1891 when he moved to Hillsboro, Oregon. Gates was also the chief engineer for the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company for a time.
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