BIOGRAPHY: John C. GATES, Cambria County, PA 

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From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria 
County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 312
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JOHN C. GATES, the popular clerk of the commissioners of Cambria county, 
Pennsylvania, is a son of Isaac and Mary (Troxell) Gates, and was born June 3, 
1844, in White township, Cambria county, Pennsylvania.
     He is of German extraction, the German spelling of Gates being Getz. This 
name, however, in common with everything that comes into touch with the English 
race, was Anglicized after the emigration of the grandfather of Mr. Gates from 
Germany to America.
     The grandfather first settled in Eastern Pennsylvania, perhaps in Bucks 
county, whence he moved to Blair county, and later to what is now Chest 
township, in Cambria county, being among the earlier settlers of that township. 
His vocation was that of farming.
     The father of our subject was born in Bucks county, in 1818, and died in 
1876, in White township, Cambria county. He came to this county with his father, 
and lived there the remainder of his life. He followed farming and lumbering. 
Politically he was a whig, but became a republican upon the organization of that 
party.
     His family, of which our subject is the second child and oldest son, 
consisted of five sons and three daughters; Elizabeth M. is the wife of Rev. 
Daniel Strayer, of White township, Cambria county; La Fayette M. is a resident 
of Iowa; Joel A. lives in White township, and is a farmer and lumber dealer; 
Isaac W. follows farming, and resides at Coalport, Clearfield county; Perry C. 
is also a farmer of the same place; Mary M. is the wife of J. S. McKee, of White 
township, Cambria county; one child died in early youth.
     John C. Gates married Miss Rachel Belle McCracken, a daughter of John J. 
McCracken, of Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, and has two children living and 
at home; Albert M. and Francis A.; the two oldest died young.
     Mr. Gates was educated in the common schools, at an academy in Martinsburg, 
Blair county, and at Pine Grove Mills, Center county. He also took a course at 
the Iron City Business College, graduating in 1866. His first business venture 
was as a mercantile and lumber dealer in White township with his brother, Joel 
A. and his father, under the firm name of Isaac Gates & Sons. His father died in 
1876, and in 1879 he located his store at Utahville, Clearfield county, where he 
continued the business until 1881. Prior to that, in the autumn of 1880, he was 
elected prothonotary of Cambria county on the Republican ticket, although the 
county had a Democratic majority of six hundred.
     In 1881, therefore, he moved to Ebensburg to take charge of this office, 
remaining there for the term of three years. At the end of this time he was 
again nominated by his party for the same office, but was not elected. In 1884, 
however, he was elected a member of the State legislature from Cambria county, 
although the county was Democratic.
     In 1886 he took a position with the Cresson and Clearfield county and the 
New York Short Route railroad, extending from Cresson, Cambria county, to 
Irvona, Clearfield county, being stationed at Coalport until 1889, when he went 
into the general office at Cresson, where he remained until 1893, when the road 
came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad company. Shortly afterwards 
he took a position with the Logan Valley Lumber company, of Altoona, 
Pennsylvania, remaining with this company until it was closed out. He then 
engaged as bookkeeper with the Keystone Merchandise company, at Frugality, which 
was connected with the Cresson and Clearfield Coal and Coke company. Here he 
stayed until he took his present position in January, 1894.
     Mr. Gates has not only filled the responsible offices named, but served 
minor offices. Prior to his coming to Ebensburg, the first time as prothonotary, 
he had been elected justice of the peace of White township, and was serving his 
second term when elected to the office of prothonotary. He also served as school 
director a number of years, but before coming to Ebensburg and after returning 
to his township.
     He now resides in Ebensburg, and belongs to Coalport Lodge, No. 574, F. and 
A. M., to Mountain Chapter, No. 189, at Altoona, and to Mountain Commandery, No. 
10, at the same place.
     It will thus be seen that Mr. Gates' life has not been an idle one; and he 
still continues a busy man, discharging the duties of his office with honor and 
efficiency, and making and keeping friends by the affability of his manners and 
the generosity of his nature.