Elijah Gates

Elijah Gates (born Garrard County, Kentucky, December 17, 1827; died St. Joseph, Missouri, March 4, 1915) was an American politician from Missouri.

Early and personal life
He moved to Platte County, Missouri, in around 1846, and subsequently settled on a farm in Buchanan County. In 1852, he married Maria Stamper, and they had twelve children.

Military career
At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, he enlisted in the Confederate Army, starting as a captain in the Missouri State Guard, and was later promoted to colonel in charge of the First Missouri Confederate Cavalry. Following his promotion, he established a regiment under the command of General Sterling Price, and was stationed in Mississippi and Alabama. During his service, he was wounded five times, including losing an arm at the Battle of Franklin, was captured by Union forces three times, and had four horses shot from underneath him. On April 9, 1865, the same day Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, Colonel Gates was engaged in one of the last battles of the Civil War at Blakeley, Alabama.

Into politics
Following the war, Gates returned to his farm. In 1874, he was elected as Sheriff of Buchanan County, serving in that post until 1877. From 1877 to 1881, he served as State Treasurer of Missouri. Following his tenure as State Treasurer, he served as United States Marshal for the Western District of Missouri under President Grover Cleveland, and was engaged in the transfer and bus business in St. Joseph, Missouri until his death at 87 years old.