Philip Martin Gates

 

Philip Martin Gates
Image of Philip Gates in 1902
1st Secretary General of the World Continental Congress
In office August 3rd, 1912 – September 12th, 1920
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Matthew Wallace
Personal details
Born	April 21st, 1872 Grands Ballons, Gold Coast, Sierra
Died	June 11th, 1934 (aged 62) Juno, Plumas, Sierra
Nationality	Sierran
Political party	Democratic-Republican Party of Sierra (1890-1910) Royalist Party of Sierra (1910-1912)
Spouse(s)	Angela Gates (m.1894, w.1934)
Children	Jacob Gates (1899-1971)
Residence	Juno, Plumas
Profession	Activist Statesman
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Philip James Martin Gates (April 21st, 1872 – June 11th, 1934) was a Sierran political activist and statesman who became the founder and first Secretary General of the World Continental Congress. He was a prominant advocate for Continentalism and was a member of the Royal Continentalist Society from 1912 until his death in 1934. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party of Sierra and later the Royalist Party of Sierra, Philip became alienated from both parties due to his continentalist views and would join the Royal Continentalist Society in 1912, the same year he founded the World Continental Congress and became advocating for continentalism across the former United States.

As head of the World Continental Congress, Philip Gates became the most notable figure representing the continentalist movement and was commonly called the leader of the movement. This title existed only in theory and in official congress documents as he struggled to deal with various continentalist factions in the congress throughout his political career. Gates was a notable opponent of the socialists and eventually stepped down on September 12th, 1920 after he was defeated in a vote of no confidence by the Internal Committee. He then retired to Juno, Plumas where he lived for the rest of his life until he died on June 11th, 1934 at the age of 62 from a heart attack. 

Gates has left behind a complicated legacy since his passing due to his conflict with socialist and communist continentalists in the Revolutionary Bloc of the congress. Critics often cite his conflict with the socialists and pro-war stance as major issues with his career and many view him as a harmful figure in the continenalist movement. Many historians and continenalists have praised his reputation citing his ability to mobilize the various continentalist groups across Anglo-America and Gates is often credited for bringing continentalism back into the mainstream of Anglo-American politics. 

Early life and career

Philip Gates was born on April 21st, 1872 in the city of Grands Ballons, Gold Coast in theKingdom of Sierra. He was the son of Daniel Gates (1801-1911) and Maria Gates (1813-1919). His father was the owner of a textile factory and his mother was a housewife. Growing up, he was raised by his father to work in the business and became his unofficialt secretary when he was 13 years old in 1885. His parents were active members of the Democratic-Republican Party and he officially joined the party when he was 18 in 1890. He was an activist for the party and having ben raised in a conservative household, he joined a conservative group of the party and advocated for conservative politicians of the part. His traditionalist views would clash with other members of the DRPS in the Gold Coast and eventually left the party in 1910 and joined the Royalist Party instead. Due to the royalists holding more socially conservative views, Gates felt welcomed within the party and became a popular celebrity-like figure within the local branch of the party. Having studied history as a child, Gates became fascinated with the former United States and believed that since much of former America held similar cultural and social views and beliefs, they should unify under the Sierran monarch and expand the wealth and knowledge of Anglo-America to all within North America. His views made him an outcast within the party and he was eventually denounced as a radical. Gates then left the royalists in 1912, but found new allies in the Royal Continental Society who shared his views. 

Continentalist advocate

Royalist Continental Society

On January 4th, 1912, Philip Gates had joined the Royalist Continental Society who supported his ideals of a restored United States with the Sierran monarchy to rule over the hypothetical nation to serve as a unifying symbol of the nation. Gates had rose within the society due to his speeches and devotion to the continentalist cause, but Gates himself had bigger ambitions beyond promoting continentalism within Sierra and its dominions. Gates expressed his desire to create an organization that would bring together the various continentalist organizations and political parties across Anglo-America from Sierra to the United Commonwealth. He managed to gain enough support to have members of the society travel across Anglo-America and Sierra and promote the idea of an organization that would promote continentalism in Sierra and beyond. A major effort by the society was carried out and the message eventually traveled across Anglo-America and Gates proclaimed the establishment of the congress on Julyt 1st, 1912.

Forming the Continental Congress

Gates with members of the Internal Committee.

The announcement of the World Continental Congress was made in Juno and he was accompanied by many continentalist activists across Sierra, the United Commonwealth, and other Anglo-American nations who traveled to help form the new congress. The announcement traveled across Sierra both continentalists and non-continentalists interested in the new congress traveled to see the formation of the new group. Gates promised that an Internal Committee would be formed to help lead and establish the WCC and would accept continentalists of any type and of any nationality. The congress was officially established on August 1st, 1912 with the newly formed Internal Committee electing him as Secretary General thee days later.

World Continental Congress

Establishing a coalition 

Following the formation of the World Continental Congress, continentalists came in from all over Anglo-America to gather at the 1st Continental Congress in Juno on August 12th, 1912. The turnout was high with around 1,234 total attendents and hundreds more journalists covering the event. Before long, the continentalists began to group themselves together into various "blocs" based around ideology and what form of continentalism they seek to promote. Leftist continentalists were assembled by Matthew Wallace, a young commonwealth born continentalist, who became the de facto leader of the Socialist Bloc. Both Wallace and his long-time friend, Jason Ronson, became notable opponents of Gates, but he feared that divisions could overwhelm the congress and so negotiated and successfully convinced Wallace to be Vice Secretary General in a coalition government. The new coalition government was formed as a means of unifying the various continentalist groups together to support the WCC's ambitious end goals and the idea of unity emerged at the 1912 Continental Congress. Gates used the new government to gain support among the various attendants and prevent factionalism from plaguing the congress fearing that it will prevent the unification of Anglo-America. While unity held at the 1912 congress, ideological tensions emerged in the years after the first congress and would show themselves at the second one in 1918.

Conflict with the socialists

In the months leading up to the 1918 Continental Congress, Gates fell into conflict with Jason Ronson over he and Wallace's political activities, specifically the promotion of their communist anti-war sentiment. The two of them had been mobilizing left leaning continentalists to protest the involvement of Anglo-America in World War I and demanded an end the region's involvement in the war. Gates was supportive of the war and praised attendants of the 1912 congress who went off to fight in Europe against the Central Powers.