John Warne Gates
American industrialist (1855-1911) · United States · On the map · Business Professionals · Died at 56
John Warne Gates, also known as "Bet-a-Million" Gates, was an American Gilded Age industrialist and gambler. He was a pioneer promoter of barbed wire. He was born and raised in what is now West Chicago, Illinois.
John Warne Gates is read about 29 times a day, in 5 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 16 August 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
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![Gates owned the Sydney Kent House at 2944 South Michigan Avenue on Chicago's South Side from 1896 to 1906[28] The house is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Sydney_Kent_House.jpg/1280px-Sydney_Kent_House.jpg)
About this person
He did not enjoy farm life and began offering neighbors various business propositions at an early age, including the sale of firewood to homes and to the local railroad. When he started a local grain brokerage that failed, Gates began spending time at the local railroad station and became reacquainted with the men he previously sold firewood to. He was invited to join their poker games and through this, Gates' aptitude for cards and other games of chance was developed.
