Leslie Freeman Gates dies of heart attack: New Trier High School loses valued board member in passing of Wilmette leader

Leslie Freeman Gates, 723 Eighth street, Wilmette, member of the New Trier High school board and former president of the Chicago Board of Trade, died of heart attach last Thursday night at the Battle Creek, Mich., sanitarium where he had gone following an attack of acute indigestion at French Lick Springs, Ind., the previous Sunday. Mr. Gates was fifty-five years old and had lived in Wilmette for almost twenty years.

For the last nine years Mr. Gates had been active on the New Trier High school board, and had served as president of the board for a part of that time. His membership on the Chicago Board of Trade dated from 1906. In 1911 he was made a director. He was first elected head of the Board of Trade in 1919 and was re-elected the following year. Mr. Gates also served one term as trustee of the Wilmette Village board several years ago.

Leader in Grain Exchange
Mr. Gates was born in Canton, Pa., was graduated from Lafayette college, of which he was a life trustee, and entered the grain commission business in 1906 as a member of the firm of Lamson Bros. and company. He was a partner in this firm until his death, and was one of the foremost members of the legislative committee of the National Grain exchange, national organization of which every grain exchange is a member. In addition to his activities in the grain business, Mr. Gates was president of the Laurel Book company of Chicago and Laurel, Ind., and a former western manager for the Appleton company, book publishers.

Mr. Gates' kindliness, friendliness, and interest in young people and their education were among his most notable characteristics. His charities and philanthropies were conducted so quietly that only a few of his most intimate friends know of their extent.

Active in Civic Affairs
As first vice-president of the Citizens' Association of Chicago, Mr. Gates was an active and valuable member of that organization, which is the oldest civic reform association in Chicago. He had served on the board of the Citizens' association for the last eight years, and had been acting president during the absence of the president last summer.

Mr. Gates was a member of the North Shore Golf club, the Union League club, the Art Institute, the Commonwealth club, and the Delta Upsilon fraternity.

Surviving him are his widow, Mrs. Josephine Lamson Gates; a daughter, Helen Gates, who is attending Swarthmore college; his mother, Mrs. Stephen Pratt Gates, of Canton, Pa.; a sister, Mrs. Sarah Gates Crockett, of State college, Pa., and a brother, Harry C. Gates, of Canton.

Honored by Trade Board
Funeral services were conducted Sunday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock at the First Congregational church of Wilmette by Dr. Howard A. Johnston of Milwaukee, a friend of the Gates family, and the Rev. Vere V. Loper, pastor of the church. Representatives of the Board of Trade, the Union League club, and other organizations of which Mr. Gates was a member attended the services. The Board of Trade closed early last Saturday and a memorial service for Mr. Gates was held on the floor of the exchange at 11:30 o'clock.

After cremation at Graceland cemetery on Monday, the family left Tuesday for Mr. Gates' boyhood home at Canton, Pa., where the ashes will be laid to rest.