Lockley, Fred.  "History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the
Sea." Vol. 3.  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1928.  p. 217.
 
HOWARD W. BATES

     From boyhood Howard W. Bates has lived in Portland, to which city he is
deeply attached. Here the exercise of effort has brought him to the front in
local manufacturing circles as one of the officers of the Smith & Valley Iron
Works Company, one of the oldest business firms of the city. A native of
Providence, Rhode Island, he was born in 1883 and was a child of six when his
parents, Walter J. and Anna Belle (Watson) Bates, established their home in
Portland, Oregon. In 1889 his father became connected with the Smith & Watson
Iron Works, now known as the Smith & Valley Iron Works, and remained with the
firm until 1909. He is now living retired but the mother has passed away.
     In the acquirement of an education Howard W. Bates attended the public
schools of Portland and was next a student at the Oregon Agricultural College,
from which he was graduated in 1902, receiving the degree of Mechanical
Engineer. In 1904 he accepted a position in the Smith & Watson Iron Works
and has since been identified with this pioneer industry, which had its
inception in 1862. It was in 1927 that the style was changed to the Smith &
Valley Iron Works Company, of which Mr. Bates was elected secretary on the 1st
of January, 1927. He manages the manufacturing end of the business and also has
charge of the purchasing department. For twenty-three years he has remained with
the firm, serving it to the best of his ability, and his labors have constituted
a. vital force in the expansion of the industry. The company has made sawmill
and logging equipment for many years and also manufactures machinery for the
pulp and paper mills of the Pacific northwest, transacting a large business.
      In 1904 Mr. Bates married Miss Mabel Simpson, who was born in Iowa and in
1889 came to Portland with, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Simpson. Mr. and
Mrs. Bates have a daughter, Annabelle, who is the wife of D. Solis Cohen, Jr.,
and resides in Portland. Mr. Bates is a Knight Templar Mason and has crossed the
sands of the desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. In politics he is
nonpartisan, regarding the qualifications of a candidate as a matter of first
importance, and heartily cooperates in movements for Portland's benefit. His
personal qualities are such as inspire respect and confidence and he has many
steadfast friends in this city, in which he has spent practically his entire
life.

 
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in September 2007 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.