Ralph F. Gates
Encyclopedia
Ralph Fesler Gates was the 37th Governor
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...

 of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 from 1945 to 1949. A lawyer and veteran of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, he is credited with returning his party to power after the Ku Klux Klan
Indiana Klan
The Indiana Klan was a branch of the Ku Klux Klan, a secret society in the United States that practiced racism and terrorism against minority ethnic and religious groups. The Indiana Klan rose to prominence beginning in the years after World War I when rising levels of eastern and southern European...

 scandal in late 1920s that led to years of Democratic dominance of the state government during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

. His term in office focused primarily on encouraging economic growth as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 ended through the improvement of the state highway system, education reform, and offering incentives for industrial growth. After leaving office he remained active as a leader in the state Republican Party until his death.

Family and background

Ralph Gates was born in Columbia City
Columbia City, Indiana
Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,750 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Whitley County.-Geography:Columbia City is located at...

, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, on February 24, 1893, the first son of Benton E. and Alice Fesler Gates. Gates had three younger brothers; John, Scott, and Benton. His father was a local banker, an attorney, and chaired the county Republican Party for ten years. To earn an income as a boy, Gates delivered newspapers and became acquainted with Thomas R. Marshall
Thomas R. Marshall
Thomas Riley Marshall was an American Democratic politician who served as the 28th Vice President of the United States under Woodrow Wilson...

, who later became Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

. Gates attended public school in Columbia City and graduated from high school in 1911. He attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 where he earned a bachelor's Degree in 1915 and law degree in 1917.

After the United States entered World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, Gates enlisted in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 in September 1917. He was mustered in as an ensign and assigned to the Pay Corps, which was responsible to managing the payroll of the navy. In December he was promoted to lieutenant and transferred overseas to work in the War Risk Insurance Bureau based in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 where he was employed to sell bonds to insure government war assets. He personally sold over $1 million in bonds, almost entirely to naval personal. In April 1919 he was transferred to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 were he placed in command of an airbase that was being constructed. The base was finished just as the war ended and Gates was offered a position in the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 relief effort, but he turned down the offer so he could go home.

Early political career

After he returned to Indiana, he began practicing law in his father's firm. He soon met Helene Edwards of South Whitley
South Whitley, Indiana
South Whitley is a town in Cleveland Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,751 at the 2010 census. South Whitley is a town in the Midwestern tradition of red brick buildings and tree-lined streets.-Geography:...

, a local school teacher in Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...

. The couple was married on October 30, 1919 and purchased a home in Columbia City where they lived the rest of their lives. They had two children, Robert and Patricia. Gates' father soon brought him into the family banking business where he served as a manager in the Farmer's Loan and Trust Bank. Gates first became involved in politics in 1920 when he became the attorney for Whitley County
Whitley County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,707 people, 11,711 households, and 8,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile . There were 12,545 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...

. He became the town attorney for South Whitley in 1922, a position he held until 1944. He also served as attorney for Columbia City from 1927 through 1929. The Ku Klux Klan
Indiana Klan
The Indiana Klan was a branch of the Ku Klux Klan, a secret society in the United States that practiced racism and terrorism against minority ethnic and religious groups. The Indiana Klan rose to prominence beginning in the years after World War I when rising levels of eastern and southern European...

 dominated the state government during the 1920s and Gates, thanks to his father's advice, was among the few office holders in his region who did not become involved with the secret organization. The Klan was exposed in a scandal in 1927 that led to a near collapse of the state Republican Party.

With the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, the family bank entered a period of financial difficulty. Gates and his brothers were able to successfully meet with each of the banks depositors and convince them to sign non-withdrawal pledges. Thanks to their cooperation, the family was able to preserve the bank and made it one of the few in the region to avoid a bank run
Bank run
A bank run occurs when a large number of bank customers withdraw their deposits because they believe the bank is, or might become, insolvent...

. In 1928 he succeeded his father as the chairman of the Whitley County Republican Party and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. In 1931 Gates became the Indiana commander of the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...

. The position led him to travel around the state and meet with many state leaders as he lobbied for veterans.

Gates continued to grow in popularity and power among the state party. He served again as a delegate to the national conventions in 1936 and in 1940. In 1941 he became the chairman of the state Republican Party where he immediately set to work to strengthen it and return it to power. He was known as a "master politician" and soon began to cull from the party leadership the last vestiges of the old progressive movement and those willing to compromise with the Democrats. He personally oversaw the reorganization of each county party in the state on the model of the Whitely County party.

Campaign

In 1944 Gates used his influence to secure a unanimous nomination at the state convention to run for Governor of Indiana
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...

. At the same convention, by Gates' design, Homer E. Capehart
Homer E. Capehart
Homer Earl Capehart , American business innovator and politician, was born in Algiers, Indiana, in Pike County. During the First World War, he served as a Sergeant in the United States Army Supply Corps, but was never sent overseas.-Business career:Capehart attained fame as the father of the...

 and William E. Jenner
William E. Jenner
William Ezra Jenner was a U.S. Republican Indiana State and U.S. Senator.Jenner was born in Marengo, Crawford County, Indiana. He graduated with a Law degree from Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington in 1930, and set up practice in Paoli, Indiana...

 were nominated to run for the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 respectively. The three men were deeply conservative, but Jenners was the most "rigidly ideological" of the three, leading to growing differences between him and Gates. Jenners gave the keynote address at the convention which set the tone for the campaign. He attacked President Franklin Roosevelt and the national Democratic Party for their failures during the Great Depression and their domination of both the state and federal government, but urged the party to support the ongoing World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 war effort. Gates supported Jenners' position, and in his speech attacked the state Democratic Party, calling them puppets of the Roosevelt administration claiming they took their orders from Washington and not citizens of Indiana.

After the convention Gates returned home where a parade had been organized in his honor in Columbia City. He launched his campaign after the parade and began traveling around the state to stump. He spent considerable time in traditionally Democratic southern Indiana in hopes that he could win over their support. In all of his speeches he used the term "a local problem can best be solved by local government." He also continued to charge that leadership of the state had been abandoned to federal government and that Republicans could remedy the situation. Gates and his Democratic opponent, Samuel D. Jackson
Samuel D. Jackson
Samuel Dillon Jackson was a United States Senator from Indiana. Born near Zanesville, Indiana, he attended the public schools of Fort Wayne and graduated from Indiana University Law School at Indianapolis in 1917, gaining admission to the bar the same year...

, did not hold any debates or travel to make joint appearances. The Republican party platform paid off and Gates defeated Jackson by more than 46,000 votes. Republicans also took a large two-thirds majorities in both houses of the Indiana General Assembly
Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...

.

Promoting economic growth

In Gates inaugural address he called on each branch of the government to do its job and not to interfere with the other branches. He promised not to abuse the executive authority, and the speech successfully ended what had become a fifteen year battle between the legislature, the governor, and the Indiana Supreme Court over who held the final power to control the state bureaucracy. Gates announced he would focus on three main areas while he served as governor; industrial growth, highway construction, and improved health care. He also urged the legislature to reform state taxes and spending and predicted a fall in tax revenues as the war ended.

Gates became friends with Josiah K. Lilly, Jr. the President of Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...

. Lilly advised Gates on a number of health care reforms and successfully lobbied Gates to support the construction of three new state-run mental hospital for the insane. The departments of revenue, veterans affairs, and commerce were all created at Gates urging during his term. He also successfully advocated the creation of Shades State Park
Shades State Park
Shades State Park is a state park in Montgomery, Parke, and Fountain Counties in Indiana. It is located west-northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana. In the last decades of the 19th century, the area was a resort with a forty-room inn. In the 1930s a man named Joseph Frisz acquired the land in order...

. Teacher's wages were raised statewide, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles was reorganized to hire employees using the state merit system, and a retirement fund for state employees was started. To fund the new initiatives, excise taxes were raised on beer, liquor, and cigarettes. Using his connections in the American Legion, Gates was instrumental in influencing the organization to move its national headquarters from Washington D.C. to Indianapolis and providing it office space in the World War Memorial
Indiana World War Memorial Plaza
The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature located in Indianapolis, Indiana, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. The five-city-block plaza was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and...

 building which was expanded to accommodate them.

Gates' position on highway construction came to be at odds with the more conservative wing of the party. The federal government offered matching funds to the state to build certain highways, but they feared taking the money would be seen as a sign of going back on their promise to not let the federal government influence them. Gates insisted that it was in the best interest of the state to accept the money and build the highways, but legislature failed to act on his recommendation. Jenners had been behind the movement to stop the highway construction bill, and Gates retaliated by planning to block Jenners from winning the nomination to run for governor in 1948. The Constitution of Indiana
Constitution of Indiana
There have been two Constitutions of the State of Indiana. The first constitution was created when the Territory of Indiana sent forty-three delegates to a constitutional convention on June 10, 1816 to establish a constitution for the proposed State of Indiana after the United States Congress had...

 prevented governors from serving consecutive terms, barring Gates from running for office again. However, he still controlled the state party and at the state convention in 1948, he was able to unite the three factions opposing Jenners to deny him the nomination. Jenners, who had a two-hundred vote lead in the first ballot, was outraged and never forgave Gates.

Party leader

When Gates left office he resumed his duties as chairman of the state party, and also served at different times in the national party as a member of the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...

. He met with Robert A. Taft in 1952 and was offered the chance to run for Vice President of the United States, but he declined. The same year party leaders tried to nominate him to run for governor again, but he refused. Although he never ran for office again, his support and backing proved critical to Republicans for many years in gaining party nominations. Richard Lugar was among the last men he helped secure the party's Senate nomination for. He continued offering political advice until 1976 when told a reporter that the national party made a mistake in choosing Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...

 over Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 for the 1976 president nomination, and that Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

 was "well intentioned, but had no grasp of politics."

Death and legacy

Gates and his wife remained living in their Columbia City home, the same he had purchased in 1919. They also purchased a cottage on Crooked Lake just outside of the town where they spent considerable time in the summer. He became an American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 enthusiast and collected a large number of books on the subject. After retiring from his law practice he also spent considerable time gardening. He died of natural causes on July 28, 1978. Only a private service was held after his death because of his request for only a simple ceremony where his favorite song, "Onward Christian Soldiers" was played. Indiana State Road 205, which runs from Garrett, through Churubusco and Columbia City, before ending in South Whitley, is called the Ralph F. Gates Memorial Highway.

As a governor, Gates was repsonible for helping the state to successfully transition from a war to peace time economy. He is best remembered as an important Republican Party leader, who rebuilt the party following its near collapse after the KKK scandal in the late 1920s, and his continued role in the party after his time as governor.

External links

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