Bogle & Gates records, 1864-1999

Bogle & Gates was a Seattle law firm established on June 1, 1926, and dissolved in 1999. The firm underwent various name changes over time: Bogle, Bogle & Gates (1926-1965); Bogle, Gates, Dobrin, Wakefield & Long (1965-1974); and thereafter Bogle & Gates. Its predecessor firms date back to 1891. The founding partners of the firm were Judge W. H. Bogle, his son, Lawrence Bogle, and Cassius E. Gates. W. H. Bogle moved to Seattle in 1900 and established Bogle, Hardin & Spooner. After college, Lawrence Bogle was associated with Johnson & Higgins before joining his father at Bogle, Hardin, & Spooner. The firm underwent name changes, becoming Bogle & Spooner in 1909, then Bogle, Graves, Merritt & Bogle in 1911, Bogle, Merritt & Bogle in 1917, Bogle & Bogle in 1924, Bogle, Holman & Bogle from 1925 until finally Bogle, Bogle & Gates in 1926. W. H. Bogle died in 1927. Cassius E. Gates came to Seattle in 1909, practicing alone until 1913. Gates was then a part of Gates and Emery until 1914, Gates & Helsell in 1919, and Battle, Hulbert, Gates & Helsell in 1922, before finally joining the Bogles for Bogle, Bogle & Gates.

Early clients included the Canadian Pacific Railway, Kennecott Copper Corporation, Alaska Steamship Company, Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company, and the Oregon and Washington railroad navigation company. Bogle, Bogle & Gates “combined a broad general practice with particular emphasis on corporate work, taxation, labor, anti-trust and practice in all phases of admiralty and marine insurance law”. Over time the firm grew drastically, resulting in a move from the Central Building, where they had been since 1909, to the Norton Building in 1961, and then the New Bank of California Center in 1974. Both Cassius Gates and Lawrence Bogle retired on December 31, 1967, but the firm continued on until 1999.

Lawrence Bogle was an authority in the field of admiralty law and was involved in many projects outside of the firm. He collaborated with Commander Ray Farwell on The Rules of the Road, served on multiple advisory committees, was the chairman of the admiralty committee of the American Bar Association, served as director of the American Maritime Association, and was Chairman of the Seattle Area Appeal Board. Bogle continued to counsel the firm until his death on July 25, 1976.

Cassius E. Gates was also well-established in various legal groups in Seattle. He was on the board of directors of civic and business ventures in the Northwest and the president of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. He was president of the Seattle Rotary Club and Rainier Club, a trustee of the Seattle Symphony, and was involved in the Automobile Club of Washington and the World Affairs Council of Seattle. Gates also was Vice President of the 19th Circuit of the American Bar Association from 1935-1936 and the Vice President of the International Association of Insurance Council in 1936. He also counseled the firm until he died on January 9, 1972.