Former Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, one of the most powerful and influential politicians in the county’s history, died early Friday, October 25. He was 85 years old.

Gates, Orange County’s 11th sheriff, held the reins from 1975 to 1999. He was a self-styled Western lawman who was endorsed by none other than movie legend John Wayne, a Newport Beach resident. Wayne’s portrait hung in the sheriff’s headquarters, where other Western artwork adorned the walls under Gates’ direction.

“Orange County has lost a legend and our department has lost one of our favorite family members,” Sheriff Don Barnes said in a statement Friday. “He took over our agency at the age of 35, after only 14 years in his law enforcement career. … Although it has been more than 24 years since Sheriff Gates retired, much of what our department has today is a result of the initiatives he initiated.”

A lifelong resident of San Juan Capistrano, Gates worked in orange groves in his youth, burning stained pots to prevent frost from damaging crops. He competed with the volunteer Sheriff Junior Posse before joining the Sheriff’s Department in 1961.

“There has never been a better friend for me. “He always said, ‘You’re written on my palm,’ and boy, did he mean it,” said former San Juan Capistrano Mayor Gary Hausdorfer, who has been a friend of Gates for 45 years. “As sheriff he was a formidable leader, and as an adversary he was a formidable obstacle.”

While his tenure as sheriff was marked by controversy, Gates was widely admired for his tough, no-nonsense personality. Standing over 6 feet tall and often wearing a cowboy hat, Gates was a visible presence with a competitive streak, even while playing bocce ball. He loved to win.

“He had a competitive nature along with a passion and dedication to the Sheriff’s Department and Orange County,” Hausdorfer said.

When the county declared bankruptcy in 1994, Gates was one of a trio of department heads appointed to lead the county administration as its “crisis management team.”

Younger aides in chiefs’ offices at the time remember him as a strong and passionate advocate for public safety; He starts speaking in a quiet and shy voice, then rises to a powerful, commanding crescendo that enchants the audience.

Police leaders remember Gates as a strong ally, instrumental in the county’s law enforcement helicopter program and other crime-fighting measures.

“Of all of us in law enforcement, I think Brad is one of the best police officers to ever wear a badge,” said David Snowden, who served as police chief in Costa Mesa and Beverly Hills. “He set an example of how a politician should act. He would do the right thing either way.

Under Gates’ leadership, the department became nationally renowned for its anti-drug efforts, including a regional counternarcotics team and a school program called “Drug Use is the Abuse of Life.”

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, a former district supervisor, worked with Gates after the bankruptcy. Spitzer credited Gates with transforming the Sheriff’s Department into a modern police force, taking over airport, harbor patrol and jail operations. Gates has also supported nationwide efforts to improve law enforcement communications, crack down on gangs and improve patrol response times.

“Sheriff Gates and his passion will be missed by many, including me, but his legacy of service in this county and in law enforcement will live on,” Spitzer said.

Gates won the primary by a landslide and held on to the ministry until his retirement in 1999 at the age of 59. Gates declined to run for re-election amid a backlash from his former supporters, ultra-conservative Republicans who were angered by his approval of a sales tax. The district is saved from bankruptcy. The measure was rejected by voters.