Henry Tifft Gage (December 25, 1852 – August 28, 1924) was Governor of California from January 5 1899 to January 7 1903.

Henry Gage was born in 1852 in Geneva, New York and moved to California in 1874. In 1877, he opened a law office in Los Angeles, and soon numbered several large corporations among his clients (one in particular was the Southern Pacific Railroad). Active in Republican politics, Gage was elected Los Angeles City Attorney in 1881.

As delegate to the Republican national convention at Chicago in 1888 he seconded the nomination of Levi P. Morton for vice president.

In 1891, President Harrison appointed Gage as attorney to prosecute the crew of the Chilean steamer, Itata, which had sailed into San Diego to obtain arms for rebels after the outbreak of civil war in Chile. United States authorities had detained the ship, but after his investigation Gage refused to prosecute the case because of his belief that the federal government had erred.

In 1909, President William Howard Taft appointed Gage Minister to Portugal. He resigned in 1911 because of his wife's health and resumed his legal work. He died in 1924 in Los Angeles, California.

Gage Avenue in Los Angeles was named after him on October 28 1929.

1852 births | 1924 deaths | Governors of California