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 Ass ...

and as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from the U.S. state of New York.

Early life

Gates was born in Winfield, New York, the son of Seth Gates and Abigail (Merrill) 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 Yo ...

, 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, the , which is commonly ...

Le Roy, New York Le Roy, or more commonly LeRoy, is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 7,662 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after one of the original land owners, Herman Le Roy. The town lies in eastern Gen ...

. 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 * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

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 Republic of Texas was annexation, annexed into the United States and Admission to the Union, admitted to the Union as the List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union, 28th state on December 29, 1845. The Republic of Texas Texas ...

. 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 5,316 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately 37 miles east southeast of Buffalo and approximately 37 miles southwest of Rochester. The town ma ...

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

Barnburners The Barnburners and Hunkers were the names of two opposing factions of the New York Democratic Party in the mid-19th century. The main issue dividing the two factions was that of slavery, with the Barnburners being the anti-slavery faction. Whil ...

and

Free Soil The Free Soil Party, also called the Free Democratic Party or the Free Democracy, was a political party in the United States from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was focused on opposing the expansion of slav ...

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 Constitution of New York, 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 governo ...

. 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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1992.

References

External links

* * {{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 members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives